And I Could Feel
by Emyr
Summary: Scandal, passion, secrets and seduction. What's royalty without drama? [post new moon, BellaxOCxEdward]
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight and it's characters.

AN: First published fanfiction, enjoy.

Anger. It was a wonderful feeling. It blocked out the pain, the despair, and the tears…all caused by him.

After he left me I was lost, truly lost. Every thought was linked to him. Just imagining that I would never talk to him again, never see him, never feel him…was enough to drive me insane. I didn't know what to do or what to think.

But I usually got over disappointment quickly. And even though this time it took 3 months, I got over it. And surprisingly I stopped blaming myself for Edward leaving. I gave him everything he could have ever asked of me. I gave him my heart, my soul and my body. I cared about him a million times more then I cared about myself, but I guess that was not good enough. I realized that whatever I did, or said could not have changed his decision. It's funny how sometimes seemingly noble actions are in reality the opposite. He left because he wanted me to be happy, to live a human life. He wanted me to live without the dangers he brought with him. And as many times as I've said that he was all I wanted, he never listened. He was a hundred percent sure that I would be happier without him, and that's all that mattered. He didn't want to be responsible for my happiness and safety, so he fled. He fled and left me to rot in my despair.

As soon as I started recovering, I gained an objective view on our relationship. His overprotective personality never seemed to bother me, but now it did. It was so stifling to think that I followed his every command. I couldn't even be angry at him! All it took him to calm me down was a kiss. One kiss and I was at his feet showering him with my forgiveness. And when my anger wasn't that easily tamed, I blamed myself. I blamed myself for being angry with him. I told myself that this was all for the best, that first of all he had my interests in mind. He had me wrapped around his finger.

When it got easier to think about our past, I thought about those moments when I was angry with him. I replayed them over and over, thinking about what I should have done instead of letting him of the hook. I was pathetic. And I didn't even realize it up till now.

He was a manipulator. Sure, he might have never wanted to hurt me, but he did. He did because he was selfish and always sure of himself.

I could feel a new emotion inside of me, emotion that I never truly experienced. It was anger.

And with that one spark, I ignited.

Sitting around moping no longer satisfied me. I wanted to do something, I needed a change. I wanted to feel powerful and in control of myself. I wanted to show the world that I didn't need him. That he lost me for good, and that he would regret it.

I was tired of being concerned about everyone but myself. I wanted to leave Forks, so I would live somewhere alone.

Charlie noticed the changes in me, but I think he was glad that I finally got over it. When I told him I wanted to move, he encouraged my idea. School was done and there was nothing holding me back.

For the three months that I remained numb, I worked a lot. It took my mind of things. I had enough cash saved up for me to last a while without even getting a job. I packed my things and left. My destination was New York.

The city was crowded but I didn't mind. I liked the busy streets and the rushing people. Soon I became one of them.

I rented an overpriced apartment because it was the best I could find and fortunately got a job during the next month. It was a coffee shop, nothing serious. The money was enough for me to get by, and I couldn't count on anything better without a degree. As soon as I realised that I signed up for night school, and attended evening lectures. I liked being independent, and my anger towards Edward fuelled me whenever things got hard.

My life was fine until one night everything changed.

I was walking from my lecture that ended surprisingly late but I didn't want to waste money on a cab. The university was close to my place and there was a convenient shortcut through some campuses. I was completely relaxed and humming a tune. I've done this many times before. I was almost home; there was just a little park between the last campus and my building. Suddenly a sound caught my attention.

It was a sound I've heard before, a low inhuman growl. I couldn't tell where it was coming from until I saw a silhouette appear from behind a tree.

My breath was hitched in my throat, but I was not scared. Suddenly everything made sense. This was the perfect solution. I would have power, strength and beauty. I would be everything Edward was. We would finally be equal and his beauty would no longer fascinate me.

The silhouette was moving slowly towards me. I couldn't tell the vampire's gender yet but I could see that they were tall and lean. Their trench coat was softly blowing in the wind.

My brain was processing a million thoughts at once. How could I convince them to turn me? What would I say for them not to kill me? When should I start speaking?

But my thoughts were halted as the vampire came into the light. It was a male. He had long black hair cascading down his shoulders and piercing red eyes. He was beautiful of course but I could tell that he was relatively old. He looked older then Carlisle but not by much. He stopped and looked me in the eyes. He seemed to be studying my reaction. I decided it was my time to speak.

"Wait," I tried to remain calm, but it was proving difficult and I didn't know how much time I had before he decided to drain me of my blood.

"I know what you are," I continued, "and please listen to my request. I want you to change me. I know that at the moment you would like nothing better then to drink everything I have, but please, I need this. I would be your companion, I would help how ever I could, please—,"

He was looking at me and I could see the surprise in his eyes, but there was something else. Only now I realised that he wasn't standing straight. He seemed to be slumped on his right leg ever so slightly. I looked back to his face just to find him still looking at me. He looked contemplative, and it gave me hope and courage to continue.

"I was friends with your kind before, I know how you work, I would help you. And if you didn't want me I would--,"

I was cut off by his teeth an inch from my neck. Suddenly he whispered,

"I pass this power onto you, my time has come to an end. It'll take time for you to understand, but one day when you claim your place remember it was I that gave you your wish. I am Kane."

I felt his teeth puncture my flesh, and I was succumbed by pain.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: Thank you apocalypse cabaret for pointing out that mistake! I fixed it now. Also thanks to all the reviewers! Here's chapter two.**

My dreams were blurry and chaotic. Sometimes they cleared up and I could see familiar faces but never for too long. They were the kind of dreams you'd get when you have a fever, yet I was freezing. The cold seemed so intense that it seeped through my skin, all the way to my bones and into my unconsciousness.

I was slowly becoming more aware of my terrifying dreams. I didn't know for how long I was in this state but something inside me was telling me that I had to go back to reality. With a final image of something that looked like a gigantic fireball, I opened my eyes.

* * *

My vision was distorted and I was afraid that I was still in my dream, but I noticed that the agonizing cold was gone. I could distinguish hundreds of green pines were towering above me. The colors seemed brighter. I realized I was lying on my back, my head leaning against something hard. I pushed myself up and froze.

What was that smell? Whatever it was I knew I wanted it. No, needed it. My head spun but I didn't care. Everything turned red as I whipped my head around searching for the source of the smell. Only now I noticed that I was in a cage. It was big enough for me to stand up and walk around. Suddenly the smell got stronger and I saw a furry mass lying in the corner of the cage. I picked it up and realised it was a pair of rabbits. Next thing I knew I was already biting them, sucking out the blood. I was I heaven. The warm blood felt so good running down my throat. I drank and drank, until both of them were completely dry. My brain was being flooded with endorphins and the pleasure I felt was overwhelming. My stomach felt warm and full. I leaned back against the cage to slow my pumping heart and closed my eyes. Suddenly I heard a soft laugh.

I whipped around looking for the source. A beautiful black haired woman was sitting on the ground leaning against a nearby tree trunk. Her curious little eyes were scanning me over, waiting for my reaction. I decided to speak up.

"Who are you?" I whispered never moving my eyes off her. The woman's smile widened and she stood up.

"Hello Bella, I see we're making progress. This is the first time you spoke!" she looked at me with her twinkling eyes. I didn't understand what she meant and she must have noticed my confused look.

"Oh, of course you don't remember…will you behave if I let you out?" she tilted her head in question and I slowly nodded. She beamed and quickly walked towards the cage unlocking it.

I came out taking in my surroundings. We were clearly in a forest and I could hear a couple of birds chirping. It was cloudy but still early in the day. I looked back at the woman.

"Come on Bella, let's get you to your new home. We've been waiting for you to come around," she winked and turned to leave.

"Wait! Who are you? Why should I trust you?" I was confused but not stupid.

The woman let out a giggle, "My name is Deidre, but Bella we'll have time to talk about this later. We're in quite a rush, I expected you to come to your senses a little bit earlier. And don't you think if I wished you harm, I'd kill you while you were still unconscious?"

I scowled but I knew she was right.

She started running. I followed her at a pace which I've never achieved in my entire life yet this time it was surprisingly easy. There was no point in guessing anymore. That vampire in the park changed me. He fulfilled my wish. What was his name again?

We ran for what seemed like a couple of minutes and soon I could see a clearing. We reached it and slowed our pace. In the clearing a castle stood out. It was big but not enormous. The grey stone was crumbing in some places and wines were growing up some walls. Nevertheless the castle looked very majestic and beautiful. As our pace slowed down to a comfortable walk we reached the double doors leading inside.

Inside it was just as magnificent. A giant ball room with dark granite floor was furnished with blood red furniture. Two sets of staircases going up in an arc were along the side walls. They were joined by the balcony on top. Deidre gave me a second to look around and started walking again. At the end of the ball room there was another door and I followed Deidre through it. We entered a cozy, antique living room. Deidre took a seat on a burgundy arm chair and motioned me to sit down.

She closed her eyes as I sat down. She seemed to be in a trance and I wouldn't dare to make a sound. After only half a minute she looked at me again.

"Well it seems we still have around 5 minutes before the others get here. I know you have a lot of questions Bella but please answer mine first."

I nodded sourly at her.

She leaned towards me, "Bella, you need to tell me what happened to you."

I gave her a funny look, "I was about to ask you the same question."

Deidre remained serious, "Bella do you remember what happened to you in the park? I found you there unconscious and got a vague idea of what happened. I brought you here and did what we usually do to people who were just turned."

There was my confirmation. I was immortal. My lips involuntarily turned into a smile. I have managed to do exactly what he didn't want me to do, and it gave me a ridiculous amount of satisfaction. I tried to think back to what happened.

"I was walking home through a park. That's where I saw the vampire. I asked him to turn me and—"

Deidre interrupted, "A vampire? How did you know vampires existed back then?"

I didn't know if I could trust her with this. Would she tell the Cullens about me? Nevertheless she was staring intently at me and somehow I knew she'd find out eventually.

"I lived in a town named Forks. I met a family of vampires there."

For the first time Deidre seemed surprised, "And they didn't kill you?"

I shook my head, "They didn't feed on humans, they were what you would call 'vegetarians'."

"Ahh of course," she nodded and I continued.

"I begged the vampire to change me but he remained silent. Just when I was giving up he came right up to me and whispered something in my ear. Next thing I know I'm in a cage in a middle of a forest."

Deidre's forehead was scrunched in thought, "Bella what did the vampire look like?"

I didn't remember clearly. It was so dark. "I don't know, I only saw him in a dim light for a couple of seconds. I think he was wearing a long trench coat—"

"Did he have long black hair?" Deidre interrupted again but she triggered my memory.

"Yeah, he did! And red eyes, but that's not very rare either. I don't remember exactly what he said, but he did tell me his name…" I frowned, how could I forget so much?

Deidre took a deep breath and asked, "Bella, was his name Kane?"

Recognition washed over me, "Yes."

Deidre didn't take her eyes off me, trying to tell if I was lying. After a moment she seemed satisfied and leaned back into her arm chair. I took this as the end of her questioning.

"Now tell me, who are you and how did you find me? How do you know my name? Where are we right now?" I demanded.

Deidre seemed to be far away in her thoughts but she answered none the less. "You already know my name. And you've probably guessed that I'm a vampire. I wasn't trying to find you. Kane asked me to come to the park where you were later bitten. When I got there the last thing I expected was to find a freshly turned girl. But I knew that you probably had some significance so I carried you back here. I found out your name when I looked through your wallet. And right now we're in Norway."

I had so much more to ask, "Why did you put me in the cage?"

She seemed amused by this, "Dealing with a new vampire isn't easy you know? You were irrational for 3 days. If I let you out I would have to be constantly watching my back. I had to hunt for you twice a day. We're too far away from a big city so I could only get you animals."

I suddenly felt a pinch of gratitude.

"Thanks," I mumbled quietly. She nodded and I continued.

"So who is Kane? Is he here?"

Deidre's face suddenly fell. I could see something was going on but waited for her answer.

"Kane was our leader," she spoke after a minute, "he was the oldest of us. He's not here—" she broke off and looked away. I didn't pry for more. We sat in silence both marveling over what we found out. I was in a vampire den, far away from civilization. The only reason I was still alive was because the vampire across from me thought I was special and decided to take care of me.

"Well, you were wrong Deidre," I finally spoke, a bit sour at the realization. She looked at me with curious eyes.

"I'm not significant in any way," I stated.

Deidre let out a soft chuckle, "We'll see about that Bella. But enough chit chat, the others are here."

As soon as she spoke, the door opened.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: Bahh! I can't believe people are reviewing! Thank you so much guys! I made the new chapter a bit longer.**

Suddenly the spacious room seemed too crowded. Or maybe that was just me. Deidre was right, the others have arrived. Three gorgeous male vampires were sitting around the room, all eyes on me. I was being scrutinized by their gazes and I felt incredibly small.

The first one, also the tallest was broad and muscular. He looked older then me. His short blond hair was smoothed back with a couple of angry strands falling to the front. He was sitting on an old chair that seemed to be barely supporting his weight. He had cruel good looks, and piercing green eyes that didn't seem to leave my form. His beautiful face was wearing an annoyed frown and made me extremely uncomfortable.

The second vampire was the complete opposite of the first one. His angelic features were framed by soft brown curls that stopped just above his shoulders. He was about a head shorter then his blond companion. He was smiling at me, and the smile reached his deep blue eyes. Looking at him made me feel a bit more relaxed but the feeling didn't last.

As soon as I glanced at the third male I felt a soft blush grace my cheeks. The vampire was staring so intently at me with his hard grey eyes that I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. His gaze seemed to penetrate right through me. He had long, silky black hair that would make many girls jealous. The hair fell on his face and cascaded all the way past his shoulders. He had very exotic eyes that had an oriental tinge to them. He wasn't quite as tall or as muscular as the blond but his presence seemed to over shadow theirs. He didn't sit like his two companions but instead was leaning against the far wall.

The silence was too tense for comfort and I wished Deidre would start speaking but she seemed to be waiting for something. Suddenly the blond man spoke.

"Are you sure that's her?" he gazed over me critically.

Deidre finally decided to speak, "I found her in the spot Kane told me to go to."

"Was he there?" the blond's voice remained arrogant.

"No," Deidre replied, "I found her unconscious and freshly bitten. There is no doubt he was the one who did it. He spoke to her. He told her his name"

They were talking about me like I wasn't right even here. My eyes shut in annoyance.

"And he still hasn't come back?" the brown haired boy joined in.

Deidre's face fell, "No, and I don't think he's coming back. She had ashes all over her."

This caught me by surprise. What were they talking about?

The blond snorted, "So what, that could be anyone's."

"They smelled like him, Blaise," Deidre whispered and looked down.

I knew something bad happened, and the way the blond, Blaise, was looking at me told me that somehow I was at fault.

He was grinding his teeth, trying to regain control and I was getting really nervous.

"So he's dead?! He's dead and she gets this power? Look at her! She's no more then nineteen! What was he thinking?! Why couldn't he just wait for us to finish our research!" Blaise roughly stood up and started advancing towards me. A second later the whole room was standing up. The black haired vampire appeared in front of me, blocking me from Blaise.

"Blaise, enough. What was done can't be changed. She is the vessel now, and you know better then to harm her. We need to figure out how to act accordingly," his smooth voice emitted control. He moved away without sparing me a glance. I could see that Blaise was sitting down again but he refused to meet my eye.

Another tense silence followed, and this was seriously getting on my nerves. I felt anger bubbling inside me. I still had no idea what they were talking about and I refused to remain in the dark. Finally anger won over fear.

"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" I scowled at the vampires and to my displeasure was completely ignored.

Deidre started pacing and looked over at the brown haired boy, "Atticus, I need you to go to the library and dig up everything you can find that might help us. Kane left without any instructions, and even though there is no immediate danger we must be prepared."

Atticus nodded in understanding and immediately left the room. Deidre seemed to have no intentions of explaining anything to me.

"Dei—," I was cut off by her.

"Blaise, you need to make sure the perimeter is secure one more time. We can't afford any slip ups. Do you understand?"

Blaise's swift departure didn't even register, as I was already on my feet, tired of being ignored.

"STOP IT!" I screamed finally seeing a reaction on Deidre's shocked face, "I'm not going to leave this room until someone explains everything to me! Who was Kane? What am I? What the hell is going on?!" I was fuming, and acting like a complete psycho but I didn't care. I felt so powerless, it was maddening. I narrowed my eyes at Deidre and the black haired man seemed to step towards me.

Before I knew it his hand was under my chin, making me meet his eyes. His hand was soft and cool making my skin tingle. He was beautiful, no doubt about that, but there was something mysterious about him. His light grey clashed with my dark eyes and in that moment it felt like he saw right into my mind. Suddenly his hand dropped and the moment was over. He looked at Deidre.

"Dee, she deserves to know," his silky voice rang out.

Deidre's eyes narrowed, "It's too early, we don't even know the whole of the situation. Telling her before we know everything for sure would be pointless."

The man's calm expression did not change, "We can tell her what we know so far. She needs to understand what she's gotten herself into."

Somehow I knew the argument was over. A second later Deidre signed in defeat, "Fine, take her to her quarters. You can brief her yourself," she whipped out of the room and I was left alone with the black haired vampire.

His eyes swept to me and I held his gaze. They were really beautiful. The smoky grey irises were framed by long eyelashes that fell against his cheeks when he blinked. He had high cheekbones and a defined jaw line. His nose was long and perfectly straight. His skin seemed like porcelain and I was tempted to touch it. I shook the ridiculous idea out of my head. What would he do if I touched him? Probably slap me away like a fly.

He was wearing black leather pants that weren't too tight and a dark blue dress shirt. The first two buttons were undone revealing more perfect pale skin.

He seemed to be studying me as well. I fidgeted in my seat feeling quite ugly in comparison to his perfection, but I was used to that feeling. He noticed my discomfort and addressed me.

"Hello Bella, we seemed to have missed the introductions. My name is Tyr. Lets walk to your room while we talk," he motioned me to follow him and I stood up in silence. He walked out of the room and started talking again.

"Bella, our coven has been around for centuries. Members changed over time but this castle might have been one of the first for our race. This is quite unusual in our world, because besides a few exceptions, like the Volturi, vampire covens do not last that long. We are simply too hot headed to co-exists with others for an extended period of time," his voice was magical and I hung onto his every word. We made our way up one of the curved staircases.

"This coven is different because we are kept together by a mission, a secret. This secret has been around since the first vampire walked the earth. Our mission is to protect the ruler, the most powerful vampire lord. More accurately, lords, as each one exists for only a certain period of time. Nevertheless, the power they are given does not disappear with their deaths. It is instead passed on to the next chosen one," we were now on the second floor walking down a dimly lit hallway. Tyr stopped in front of a painting. It looked really old and the paint on the frame was chipping off. The silver haired vampire on the canvas looked around 30 years old and was sitting on a dark throne.

"Darius. He was the chosen one for almost 500 years. He was also the first one as far as we know. By the time he found out how to pass on the power he was completely miserable. He gave it away without a second thought and welcomed death. You see to pass the power on, one must sacrifice his own life," Tyr marvelled at the painting for a second before we started walking again.

"The Volturi self proclaimed themselves as "royalty" during a period of time, which started around 1000 years after Darius died, when the chosen ones didn't take their place as the rulers. The records say many were terrified of the power they had, and chose seclusion instead. Eventually the Volturi became too established to be compromised peacefully so the chosen ones remained hidden. They existed along side, but never stepped in unless it was absolutely necessary. Of course if they wanted they could destroy everyone who opposed them but most never saw the need," we stopped in front of a wooden door and Tyr turned the handle. He motioned me to walk in.

I was pretty sure this was to be my room. I was too engulfed in the story to look around so Tyr started talking again.

"So as the time of seclusion started, the vampire lords lived in this castle, very rarely traveling far. Of course there was always a risk of someone trying to force them, by whatever means, to give up their abilities, so appropriate guards were stationed in the area. The number of them never exceeded 10, so you could say only a relatively group of people were in on the secret. After so many years of absence some vampires began to doubt the existence of the lords. Now many think of it as a myth which is only beneficial to us," Tyr paused and I managed to fit in a question.

"So who is the lord now?"

Tyr looked at me intently, "Kane was the chosen one."

Suddenly everything clicked and I felt like an idiot for not realizing this before. Kane was the last vampire lord. Kane is dead. I was the last person he bit.

"How are the powers transferred?" my voice was a faint whisper.

"The lord has to make a conscious decision to part with the gift. The receiver has to be a freshly turned vampire, and as soon as the venom joins with the receiver's blood, the previous lord is destroyed," Tyr didn't need to say any more. This was too much to comprehend and I sat down on a nearby chair.

"I'll leave you alone," he turned to leave but I reached out for his arm. As soon as my fingers met his flesh I felt an unexplainable wave of relief. His skin felt cold.

"No, please stay! I don't understand! I mean I do, but I don't feel any different! What are these powers I'm supposed to get?!"

He listened to my pleas and sat down across from me.

"Bella, we don't know exactly what's going to happen to you. You're the first vampire queen. No other females were ever made the chosen ones," he seemed to think about something, but I urged him to continue.

"Please go on."

"I wouldn't worry about your inherited powers yet. Usually they only make an appearance a couple weeks after the change. Yet there are some things about you that are different. You don't have a smell—,"

I gasped, "How is that possible?"

"It's not, at least not for anyone else but you. Do you realize how valuable that is? If you want to hide from anyone, you could do it. You'd be impossible to track. You also seem to have a barrier for certain powers. I can see people's pasts, but when I try to see yours I draw a blank," he frowned.

"I had that for a while, even when I was human," I muttered thinking about what he said. I didn't realise how much of a surprise that statement was for Tyr.

"What? You could resist…"

"I didn't try, it just happened. Some of them worked, but they could not read my mind or inflict me pain using just their abilities," I tried not to think of Edward for now. I had too many things on my mind already.

Tyr seemed to process the information. We were both deep in our thoughts but eventually he stood up, "I need to tell the others about this. Someone should come for you eventually."

In a second he was gone and once again I felt completely alone.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: New chapter! I'm glad people are liking the new characters. I know it's a lot of things to take in at once but introducing all three at once made sense to me, because I could compare them and showed how each one of them affected Bella. Atticus, Tyr(Tyrael) and Deidre are completely original, character wise and appearance, but for Blaise I've always imagined an older looking Seifer(Final Fantasy 8) so if anyone wants to get an idea of what he looks like, look it up.**

**Also to the reviewer who said Edward isn't manipulative: Personally I disagree. What does the word "manipulate" mean? "To manage or influence skillfully". Edward does exactly that. He knows about the power he has over Bella, and sure as hell uses it to his advantage. Yes, he has good intentions behind his actions. Yes, he's trying to protect Bella. Yes, he does love her. But he's still manipulating her: making her feel/do things by exploiting his power over her. But of course I don't expect everyone to agree with my opinion. Anyways, enjoy!**

I wasn't tired. I caught myself at the thought. Of course I wasn't tired, I was a vampire. Vampires didn't sleep. They also didn't eat. Instead they drank blood, something that I was slowly starting to crave again. I'd have to talk to Deidre about that.

There wasn't much to do besides sneak around the room, and that was precisely what I did.

It was quite nice actually. Heavy drapes hung over the windows probably blocking all the sunlight during the day. I didn't know what time it was, but I guessed it was already evening.

Surprisingly there was a bed in the room, but it was quite small and didn't take up a lot of space. It was placed against the side wall, parallel to a window. A dresser stood across the room, and walked up to it. A huge mirror was hanging above it, and I didn't expect what I saw in it.

I guess I forgot about my appearance changing, but now I was definitely well aware of the fact. I looked mature and graceful. I was still the same Bella but it seemed that all of my features were enhanced. I leaned closer to the mirror examining my face from every angle, and a soft smile appeared. Sure, I wasn't the next Rosalie, but all of my plainness was gone. I wouldn't ever seem like an ugly duckling beside him.

Stop it. You'd never be beside him again.

Yet a part of me grasped the thought. One day I'd want to see him again. Not because I missed him, or loved him. Because I'd want him to see how wrong he was for leaving me. One day, when I would gain my powers, when I would become a Queen, I'd make sure we would meet.

The thought was strangely satisfying and I closed my eyes, letting my imagination wander.

* * *

I didn't know how much time has passed before I heard a knock on the door. I didn't rise to open it, and called out instead.

"Come in."

The door creaked open and I looked up. It was Deidre. She walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. She looked worn out but I didn't ask. Soon she raised her head in question.

"Are you hungry, Bella?"

I didn't need to answer, as my stomach rumbled at the thought.

She led me out of the castle and into the forest. We ran for a minute or two before she stopped. This part of the forest didn't seem like anything special. Deidre crouched down and motioned me to follow. We waited for something in silence, and suddenly she sprang. Her movement was a blur, and next thing I knew she was back with a big rabbit. I knew she did this to show me what to do, but her instruction was not necessary. The skill of hunting was innate, and somehow I knew that I wouldn't have a problem catching the prey.

I saw a flash of gray, and sprang towards it. My senses were heightened by the smell of blood. The rabbit was in front of me, and I swiftly grabbed it off the ground and bit in. Blood tickled down my chin, and when I was done I wiped it off. I didn't feel bad for taking the life of the animal. I think I would if I still thought like a human, but I was a vampire. Living this life took sacrifices, and somehow I felt colder. Almost indifferent to the pain of others. I guess that's why new born vampires were the most dangerous ones.

We kept going for half an hour more, before we decided to head back. Deidre didn't run this time, and I had a feeling she wanted to talk to me. I was right.

"Tyrael told me you took the news quite well, Bella," I could tell she still wasn't pleased at the thought of him revealing my fate to me. I nodded in response.

Deidre took a deep breath, "To tell you the truth, I thought you'd panic. I would. But I guess you're stronger then what I expected."

Our pace was slow but comfortable.

"There are things you're going to have to do for the next couple of months. Your abilities won't just show them selves. You're going to have to train and hunt, for them to make an appearance. And when they do, you'll have to work on controlling them," Deidre gave me a meaningful look. I listened carefully.

"Because your case is quite unique, as you already know, Atticus is doing some research to help us out. The powers might not depend on gender at all, but we don't want to take any chances."

My curiosity didn't allow me to remain quiet, "Power, abilities, skills…What do you mean? I already know I don't have a smell, but what else?"

Deidre replied instantly, "They change from person to person. Kane had the ability to control people for a short period of time. It took a lot out of him but the power was quite useful. He was faster and stronger. When he was outside the sun didn't make him glitter. All of these are his personal strengths, but there is always one ability that stays the same."

She paused and I could help but think that she was trying to make this dramatic.

"What is it?" I urged her on.

"It is the fundamental power. The power to destroy. You probably know how hard it is to kill a vampire. You literally have to cut him into little pieces and burn the remains. The power lets you skip the first part," Deidre's eyebrows furrowed and I could see the thought didn't please her.

I remembered the fireball I saw before I awoke in the cage.

"Kane could burn vampires to death?"

"Yes, the fire was in his blood. In every chosen one's blood. Eternal fire, the fire that never dies. It takes skill and time to master it, but when you do you can literally kill any one. All you have to do is wish for it. The fire is impossible to escape," Deidre's voice was no more then a whisper.

I sank to the ground and closed my eyes. Everything just seemed to hit me all at once. What was I? A killing machine? I was alone, no one else shared this burden. I was scared of myself. What if one day I just exploded and killed one of these people who were helping me? How could I live with myself after that? I wanted to fall asleep and forget about all of this, if just for a couple of hours, but I couldn't. I was close to panicking when suddenly my despair was replaced with something else.

I think this was the new vampire side of me kicking in, because in a second the hopelessness was gone. It was replaced with joy. I was one of a kind. I could be a ruler, a queen. I was scared but lusting for this power at the same time. The word weak would never associate with me anymore. If anyone defied me I would make them suffer. And I would make the others watch. What would Edward say then?

No, what was I thinking!

I didn't know what to do so I screamed. I was being shaken by someone, and my eyes snapped open.

A pair of hard gray eyes were staring directly at me. I realised that I was panting, gasping for breath. I felt two strong arms on my shoulders and noticed that I was back at the castle, lying on a couch. Tyr was sitting beside me. He seemed to exhale when he saw I awoke from my trance. He quickly moved his arms away, but I wished he didn't. His presence was so calming. He didn't speak, and neither did I. I didn't know what to say.

I looked down in shame. First day here and I already managed to pass out. I was confused and scared at the same time. What really happened? It felt like my mind was being ripped in two.

The door banged open and Deidre and Atticus appeared. They looked frantic.

"Bella! You're awake!" Tyr was showed off the bed by Deidre and she took his place instead.

"We didn't know what to do! You just fell in the middle of the forest and started mumbling to yourself. You wouldn't snap out! I carried you to the castle but what happened?" She breathed it out in one take and her voice sounded close to hysterics.

I didn't want to tell her about my episode, "It was just so overwhelming. I guess I couldn't process so much information in one day."

Deidre calmed down and nodded in understanding. Suddenly her face morphed into an angry scowl and she started hitting Tyr everywhere her hand would land.

"I told you we shouldn't have told her that much!!! The poor girl is scared! You never listen to me Tyrael!"

To my surprise he remained calm and lazily caught her hands in mid air. Deidre didn't seem to leave a scratch on him. I found this mildly amusing.

I caught Atticus's eye and automatically wished I didn't. I could tell he didn't believe me. He looked so fragile and small. He couldn't have been older then 16. Yet behind his blue eyes there was ageless wisdom. He looked away and addressed Deidre.

"I think we've all had enough excitement tonight. It's almost morning. You guys can go and relax. I'll take Bella up to her room."

I smelt a conversation coming and I definitely didn't like it.

"Are you able to walk?" Tyr's deep voice sounded, and I looked at him in surprise. He must have mistaken my previous expression.

"Yes, I'm fine," and it was the truth. I felt strangely energetic. Then I remembered I just ate, which was probably the reason for my current well being.

I walked with Atticus, and realized this would be our first conversation. He had his usual soft smile gracing his features and looked every bit like an angel. As we walked down the hallway, I heard music coming from behind one of the doors. It sounded like a heavy guitar riff.

"That's Blaise. He figured we'd be able to take care of you without his help. I'm sorry about him, but he was really close to Kane, and his death probably affected him the most out of all of us. I guess we expected it to happen eventually. He was unhappy during his last months. It hurt to see him like that," Atticus's voice radiated sadness.

"I'm sorry," I didn't know what else to say.

Atticus looked at me and smiled, "Oh it's not your fault. If anything you brought him out of his misery. I think he welcomed death. He thought of it as another adventure. Kane was one of a kind."

We reached my room, and I opened the door. I hoped I was wrong about the conversation, but as soon as I saw Atticus's face I could tell it was coming.

"Wait, Bella. Are you sure you're alright? Did something else happen in the forest?"

His eyes were so big and round. It took all of my strength not to tell him.

"I'm fine, really! Sorry for making you guys worry. It's just too many things at once you know? And I can't even sleep on it," I gave him a confident smile and tried to change the topic.

"What to you do with all this time anyway?"

Atticus didn't seem satisfied but gave it a rest, "Well, we have a big library. I can spend days in there. Also I'll tell Deidre to buy you a computer next time she goes out to the city. That'll give you something to do. But you should enjoy the free time while you can. I'm preparing a training program for you right now, and you'll start practicing with Tyr and Blaise soon enough."

Just imagining being with Blaise alone gave me shivers. And if we were fighting? I hope I survived the first session.

"The library sounds great, want to show me where it is?"

Atticus's smile turned even brighter as he started walking back, and I followed him.

Somehow I had a feeling I would not enjoy the next couple of weeks.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: New chapter! Thanks Bella Sangue for the reviews! You were the only one who reviewed last chapter and I appreciate it. I'm so excited for this story. At this rate I'll finish in less then a month!:)**

"You have to be faster then that, Bella!" his voice was irritating.

"Are you sure you're a vampire? You're moving too slow for a human!"

I missed him by an inch.

"Close, but not good enough. Have I not taught you anything?"

Blaise was an arrogant prick. This I was sure of. He knew edging me on just made it worse. I missed again and his sneer broadened.

"Aw, little Bella is getting angry?"

I growled, "Shut up, Blaise."

You'd think after a week of spending practically the whole day together we'd warm up to each other. No such luck. I think he hated me more and more with each passing day. I dreaded training. He loved it. More accurately he loved making me feel like a failure. That was easy to do, as he was probably one of the best sword fighters to ever walk the earth.

Our relationship did improve I guess. We didn't ignore each other anymore. We just argued all the time.

He swung at me twice and I blocked both attempts. I could see he looked surprised. He'd never hit me of course, or Dee would murder him, but he made sure to stop only a millimetre away from my skin. I was alright with defending myself anyway. But it was literally impossible to get a hit on him.

We finally called a break, and I swung my sword over my shoulder. It wasn't even a real weapon. Dee insisted we used wooden ones, with dull edges, until I was good enough to use a metal one. According to Blaise I would never be good enough. Figures.

I was tired, and my muscles ached. We snacked on some animals that made the mistake of getting to close to us. The sun was just starting to peek over the trees, and shine of Blaise. It was quite distracting.

I groaned, "Maybe we should just call it a day. I believe you have the unfair advantage of blinding me."

Blaise let out his arrogant chuckle, "That would just add one more to the 'unfair' advantages I already have. But you are right for once. Tyr is coming back soon, and we should head back. I know Atticus planned on having a meeting."

We rose of the ground and started running back.

I haven't seen Tyr since that night I first went to the library with Atticus. Dee mentioned once or twice that he was on some errands and left the country. I tried to get her to be more specific, but I didn't have a lot of spare time. Atticus was right when he told me to enjoy it. My days seemed to consist of learning about vampire history with him and practicing with Blaise. Atticus felt obligated to keep me up to date with recent politics and global vampire events. It was quite interesting actually, so I didn't complain.

I was getting irritated by the fact that none of my abilities showed themselves yet. They were supposed to be revealed at random times, and according to previous records, brain and physical challenge brought them out faster. This was my motivation for training and as soon as I'd finally gained control over them, I hoped I'd never have to see Blaise's smirk again.

By the time we were back Dee and Atticus were already sitting in the living room. I realized soon enough that this was the official meeting room. The giant ballroom just outside the doors was rarely used. Occasionally I'd see one of them sitting on an uncomfortable looking chair reading a book, but I didn't find that too appealing. I preferred the library instead. It was warm and inviting. The walls were lined with shelves, filled with magnificent books, some, hundreds of years old.

Dee smiled at my appearance. My hair was in an awkward bun, and my clothes were muddy. I wanted to go upstairs and change, but I knew Tyr was to be home any minute, reporting with his findings. This was my chance to find out what he was up to and I wasn't about to miss it. I told myself this was the only reason I was so eager for him to come back.

Finally the doors swung open and his flawless form walked in. He looked a bit tired but his face remained perfect. I couldn't explain my unexpected giddiness at the sight of him.

Blaise's booming voice exclaimed, "Tyrael! So you did decide to come back! What kept you so long, warm blood or attractive women?"

I glared at Blaise but couldn't help but wonder if that was true.

"Nothing can keep me from coming back here, and being greeted with such brotherly love," Tyr's sarcastic voice made everyone laugh. It felt like a family reunion, and I couldn't help but think that I did not belong.

Dee was wearing a smile, "How about you sit down, Tyr, and tell us what exactly kept you so long?

The armchairs were taken and Tyr collapsed beside me on the couch. There was at least a foot of space between us but I felt strangely nervous. Only now I realised how tired he looked.

"Things are much more difficult then we expected," he announced gravely, all sarcasm gone from his voice. The other's faces changed as well.

"I went to Europe first, but the trouble with the group of vampires who threatened to expose themselves was over before I even got there. The Volturi were just taking their time before exterminating them. Some of them had impressive powers and the Volturie tried to get them to switch sides," Tyr paused.

"Were they successful?" Atticus's melodic voice sounded.

"No. Even through the group was poorly organized, the vampires were dedicated to the cause. They were really against feeding on humans, which goes against all of Volturi's principles."

I gasped. The first thing that came to mind was the Cullens. Was it them Tyr was talking about? They had extraordinary powers, alright, and they were 'vegetarians'. I had to know.

"Who were they?"

Four heads turned to look at me. I could see Tyr was confused by the question. Nevertheless he decided to answer, "A group of females. Four in total."

I felt myself relax and became irritated instead. Why did it matter anyway? The Cullens didn't mean anything to me anymore. My thoughts were stopped as Tyr continued.

"So after Europe, I decided to check up on North America. There are lots of vampire communities there and I met some of them. I travelled around Canada and United States, and everything seemed fine until I reached Seattle. A number of mysterious killing have occurred. Totally random, and seemingly without any motives. The corpses were all burned. We wouldn't concern ourselves with an issue like this normally, but the number of deaths is abnormally high. I have suspicions that our species might be involved. The police is all over the case and if the culprit is caught the results would be catastrophic," Tyr broke off and let us absorb the information.

Seattle. That was close. Too close to Forks. Suddenly I remembered my dad. I haven't thought of him for the past weeks at all. My memories of him seemed dull and foggy just like my emotions were as well. That life was over and I could never go back.

Would we really have to hunt down a killer? Would they even allow me to help? Probably not if none of my new powers appeared. What if this was all a mistake? What if I wasn't the chosen one? Sorry Bella, we were wrong. You can leave now.

I didn't even want to think about it.

Atticus broke the silence, "We'll have to investigate, eventually, but you need to rest. Training Bella also comes first. She is our number one priority. Two weeks have passed and nothing. Even though this is nothing to worry about, it just shows that we will need to concentrate even more on preparing her."

Tyr nodded and turned his head to look at me. It seemed he just saw me for the first time since he came back. My appearance amused him and I could see he was trying not to chuckle. I turned bright red and stood up.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to go up to my room to get cleaned up. Call me down if you need me," I crossed the room in three steps and rushed out. I could hear laughing behind my back.

It was all because of stupid Blaise. He just had to trip me all the time while we were fighting. My pants were dirty, arms scratched and I felt disgusting. And the other four vampires sat back there looking absolutely gorgeous even after a long day of work.

I was a vampire and still I felt uglier then them. Why was I fated to feel inferior to everyone for the rest of my life? I wanted to be beautiful like Rosalie, with perfect blonde hair and an unforgettable face.

I whipped the door open, and stormed into my room. I ripped the hair tie out and threw it on the floor. I tried not to look in the mirror but it was inevitable I'd pass it on my way to the bathroom. Suddenly a glimpse of someone caught my eye.

There was Rosalie, staring right at me. My mouth dropped open and to my surprise she copied me. I raised my hand and she raised hers. She was my reflection.

I let out a quiet yelp, and touched my face. My nose was smaller, and my lips fuller. The blond hair fell far past my shoulders. It felt so unnatural, so unfamiliar. I actually wanted myself back.

As soon as the thought entered my mind I began to transform. My hair shrunk and turned darker. My face started morphing and it wasn't too pleasant to watch. It tingled slightly, but not to the point of unpleasantness.

In less then 15 seconds I was back to normal, my brown haired reflection staring back at me.

I didn't move for a while, trying to decide if I hallucinated. I didn't dare try it again.

Eventually I went to my bed and lied down. Sometimes I really wished I could fall asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Sorry for the delay! I had a busy weekend, but here's chapter 6. I'm a bit disorganized right now. I know where I want this story to go, and I can't wait for Edward to come into the picture but there are some other events that have to happen first. So sorry if this chapter isn't the best but at least its kinda long! Anyways, toodles!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

An hour passed. Two. I took my shower and changed my clothes.

What were the others doing?

I walked up to the door. I couldn't hear their voices. The house was quiet.

It was time to try transforming again.

This time it was easier, probably because I knew what was about to happen. The morphing didn't look as grotesque as it did the first time.

I didn't change my appearance too much. My hair was the same colour but shortened to a bob, I made my eyes green and blue and my nose a bit longer.

After a minute of admiring my creation I imagined my own face and shortly I was back to normal. I smirked in satisfaction. I'm sure the others would be ecstatic. It was time to show them.

Suddenly a wonderful idea appeared and I grinned. The others were no doubt somewhere around the castle, but us being vampires, hearing each other was almost impossible. Nevertheless I could always smell them out. I opened the door and begged for it not to make a sound. Surprisingly it didn't and I glided out into the hallway. Right away I was hit with 3 scents. Atticus, Blaise and Tyr were somewhere here. Blaise's smoky scent was by far the strongest.

I crept down the hallway forming my plan. This would be revenge for these agonizing two weeks.

I reached the door leading to the living room. He would no doubt hear me open it, so I would have to transform here. I imagined myself blond, tall, and curvaceous. My eyes turned blue and my lips plumped up. I didn't have a mirror to check my appearance but I was confident in my new found ability. I reached for the handle.

There he was, sitting on the couch reading a book. I could see his profile, but he didn't seem to hear or care about someone coming in the room. I realized he probably heard the door open but based on the lack of smell automatically assumed it was just me and I was clearly not worth his attention. Boy was he in for a surprise.

I walked towards him. He still wouldn't look at me so I decided to take the matters into my own hands.

"Hey, Blaise," surprisingly even my voice changed. It sounded sultry and sexy.

His head whipped up at the unfamiliar sound and his jaw dropped. His face was priceless and I really wished I had a camera to capture this one of a kind moment. I leaned against the wall and gave him a smile. This seemed to snap him out of his confused state and in a second he was pushing me against the wall, his hand on my neck.

He growled, "Who are you?"

To anyone else Blaise would seem painfully frightening but I just found this extremely funny. I started laughing and once again he seemed confused. Suddenly his eyes widened.

"Bella?"

My laugh didn't sound alien anymore. I got too distracted to keep my façade perfect.

The door flew open and Atticus and Tyr ran in. They heard Blaise's growls. I was already transforming back and the tingling sensation was welcome.

When I was back to normal I was immediately confronted by three very shocked males. To my satisfaction even Tyr looked impressed.

"Bella, that was amazing!" Atticus's melodic voice rang out.

Blaise scowled, "I could have killed you, Bella! That was a stupid trick."

I ignored his anger, "Whatever, Blaise. You should have seen your face."

I couldn't control another fit of giggles. Blaise growled and walked away. I could have sworn he muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "stupid girl."

Atticus's smile seemed to take over his face, "This is wonderful! I'm going to go see if anything like this has ever been recorded previously. If not, then this power might only be available to females." He almost skipped out of the room.

I looked at Tyr and was amazed at how intently he was studying me. Suddenly I was painfully aware of the fact that we were alone. I gave him a timid smile and walked over to sit on the couch. I expected him to leave but to my surprise he sat down beside me.

I bit my lip and looked at him. Tyr really was beautiful. His sleek black hair made quite the contrast with his white dress shirt. I noticed this was the first time I've seen him wear white. It looked good on him.

He smooth voice broke the silence, "That was quite impressive, Bella. I've never seen anything like that before."

I blushed and looked down at my hands. His praises were unnecessary.

He continued, "Do you know what triggered the ability to show itself?"

I continued fiddling with my fingers. I couldn't bring my eyes to look at him. I had to answer but could I tell him I was jealous of him and the others? That I cared so much about how I looked in comparison to them?

I felt his fingers softly gaze my chin and he lifted my face to meet his gaze. His touch was cool and involuntarily I shivered. I could only hope he didn't notice.

His eyes were so alluring, and the moment I looked in them I knew I would tell him the truth.

"I was jealous. Jealous of your beauty. I guess I always thought that being a vampire makes you perfect. But I'm not perfect, or graceful, or beautiful… Not in comparison to any of you."

I wanted to leave but Tyr kept his hand there and I didn't dare to move. He remained quiet and I closed my eyes in shame. He was probably laughing at my childishness.

Suddenly his fingers moved to trace my cheek. I breathed in but kept my eyes closed. He caressed my face, slowly moving from one cheek to the other, over my eye lids, forehead…It would have felt relaxing if I wasn't almost trembling. Nevertheless his touch sent shivers down my spine and I was fighting soft moans that wanted to escape.

His fingers moved down and stopped at my lips. I held my breath. It felt like time has stopped.

In a moment of courage I opened my eyes. He seemed to move closer. His lips were slightly parted and his soft breath almost reached my face.

Suddenly I heard a door bang in the distance and instantly swore to murder whoever it was. Tyr seemed to snap out and his hand dropped. He stood up, and turned away but I thought I saw a blush on his cheeks.

He reached the door in two steps but hesitated before leaving. He cast a final look at me and whispered, "Your thoughts are nonsense."

I would spend the next two hours trying to decide what he meant.

* * *

The next time I saw him was a day later. Deidre kicked us out of the house and told us not to come back until the evening. This would be my first practice with Tyr and I still wasn't quite sure what we were going to do.

The moment we were alone the tension set in. He wouldn't look at me and I tried not to look at him either. I was embarrassed and confused and my face probably showed it.

He started running and I followed. We passed mine and Blaise's usual clearing and continued deeper into the forest. I saw a flash of fur here and there but Tyr didn't stop and I didn't say anything.

Finally I could see he was slowing down. We reached another clearing but this one was much smaller then the first one. The grass seemed longer and softer.

Tyr was standing opposite of me, looking into the forest. I turned to see what captured his attention but before I could realise what was happening I was pinned down to the ground. I looked bewildered at Tyr who was now sitting on top of me yet still careful not to crush me.

His eyes finally met mine and he smirked.

"Lesson one. Don't let your guard down."

In a second he was standing up again, but so was I. So this was what we would be doing.

He assumed a fighting stance and I tried my best to copy him. This time I would let him catch me of guard. Without any further instructions I sprung at him.

To no surprise he avoided the blow, and tried to get me from the back, but I dodged his fist.

I was fast but he was also fast and definitely stronger. When I managed to land a hit on him he seemed to barely mind it. I on the other hand felt it quite well.

I couldn't help but admire his gracefulness. He never tripped or made an awkward move.

The way he pushed his hair back from his eyes was surprisingly boyish, and suddenly I was aware of the fact that he probably wasn't much older then me. In human years, of course.

We continued our dance for what seemed like hours. Neither of us ever managing to pin the other down but I was sure he was just holding back. It was probably for the best as it kept the fight smooth and I could feel myself improving with every hour.

If I was still human I would probably have already collapsed from so much physical exertion, but as a vampire I was just starting to feel tired. I noticed that stamina was something vampires gained with time. Eventually I would start to feel the need to eat and then no doubt Tyr would win.

Soon I lost track of time, but I did notice that it got considerably darker. Apparently so did Tyr as his offence gained more power. I was struggling more and more to hold him off and my muscles ached.

He grabbed my arm and swung me into a nearby tree. I braked before the impact, but this little distraction was all he needed. I moved sideways trying to avoid his blow but he was too fast.

I was on the ground, my hands pinned above my head. I was panting and so was he. His breath smelled subtly sweet. Suddenly, I was extremely aware of his body pressed up against mine. He was wearing a tight sleeveless shirt that exposed his toned arms and showed the outline of his built stomach. His hair fell past his ear and softly caressed the side of my face.

He seemed to also realize our proximity and I could see the cautious look in his eyes.

I don't know what possessed me at that moment. Maybe it was his smell of pines and snow or his brilliant grey eyes, but I tugged my hands from under his grasp and surprisingly he didn't hold them down. Carefully, keeping eye contact, I placed my hands on his chest. They seemed so small compared to his broad frame. I felt him shudder at the touch. I waited for him to push me away but he didn't.

Slowly I started moving my hands. My fingers traced patterns over the black material and I could feel the coolness of his skin through it.

His lips were parted again, just like they were in the living room, luring me in. He wasn't breathing and neither was I. His eyes fluttered close and I could see him inch down. His perfect lips were moments away from mine as I closed my eyes as well.

* * *

Once again I felt like an idiot, playing a game that wasn't all that safe. I was on my bed my face hidden by the covers.

I couldn't think about what happened in the forest without putting myself through myriad of emotions. I waited for his lips to meet mine but they never did. When I opened my eyes all I could see was a streak of black disappearing between the trees. He left again.

I could see why he'd choose to do that. I wasn't even sure what was happening between us. One day we're strangers and the next day we almost kiss.

This in itself was probably strictly forbidden. I was a "Queen". Him and the others were my protectors as Atticus explained. If any of them got a whiff of this I could only predict their reactions.

Another part of me also never failed to remind me that what I've felt towards Edward would never be rivalled. Yes, I was attracted to Tyr. He was beautiful, intelligent and kind towards me. I could tell he felt at least a bit of the attraction as well.

Nevertheless, I would never care about anyone else the same way I cared about Edward. Of course, my feelings were dulled down by now. I didn't miss him anymore. I didn't love him anymore.

I didn't. I didn't. I didn't…Why did my words sound so wrong?


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

**AN: Alright! I've gotten farther in this chapter then I thought. I tried to fit in some of the actual storyline from the books but it's in no way meant to be exactly the same, so there are lots of differences. Enjoy and Review!**

A couple more days passed by, and I struggled to keep track of time. Without sleeping it was hard it distinguish days, especially if you were staying inside. I've been doing lots of that lately. I haven't trained anymore, as Atticus decided I should go back to studying in the library.

Blaise and Deidre left to go to the city. They didn't take me as they said human blood would drive me crazy the moment I smelled it. They weren't planning on eating until they were done their shopping, and having me there craving blood would slow down the process. Deidre promised she'd buy me lots of clothing so I could finally stop borrowing from her but I made her promise not to spend too much. Even though I knew their money was probably endless and that most of it was technically mine, it still didn't feel right.

After they left I thought for a while about killing humans. Would I want to do that? Would I be able to hold myself back? In the comfort of my room I decided that I would be able to control myself, but in reality, I wasn't so sure.

My opinion on it was a bit different as well. It felt like I was one up in the food chain. Drinking human blood would be like eating meat if I was human. Humans killed thousands, millions of animals to feed themselves. Not many felt remorse.

But would I take a human life? A life that had a family? Someone they loved?

I didn't know.

* * *

I left my chambers towards the evening. Dee and Blaise weren't back yet. I asked Atticus if they were fine, but he just shrugged it off.

"They're probably having too much fun eating."

I left the library and decided to explore the castle. Even though I've lived here for almost three weeks now, I've only seen a fraction of the place.

I pretty much knew what was behind every door down my hallway. My room was on the far right and to the left of me was Atticus, then Blaise and then Dee. I decided to go downstairs to the living room.

There were two doors in the living room that I've never opened. I decided to start my exploration there.

I walked through the first one and entered a sun room. It was bigger then the living room but much smaller then the ballroom. It looked like it was made entirely out of glass. At 12 o'clock any vampire who walked in here would be glowing, besides me of course. A curved staircase led up to a balcony. I went up to look around.

I never even knew we had such a beautiful garden. Little paths ran through it and I was tempted to go outside but decided to put it of till the morning. No doubt everything would look much better in the sunlight.

I descended back to the sunroom and noticed a door on the right. Without a second thought I opened it and discovered a hallway much like the one upstairs but smaller. It only had two doors, one on each side, but I could bet they were just bedrooms. I didn't smell Tyr so I concluded they were for guests.

As I walked back to the living room I thought about Tyr. Where did he spend all of his time? I haven't seen him since our first training session but I knew he hadn't left. His subtle smell still lingered around the castle. Suddenly I was determined to find his room.

I went through the second door and almost fell. It was a staircase leading into the basement which looked more like a dungeon. Soon I was in small square lobby. As I looked around I noticed carvings on the stone walls. They depicted battles and vampires fighting each other. The detail was astounding even in the dim light emitted from the torches.

I heard a door open and a whipped around. I recognized his smell before I even saw his face.

He was standing in the doorway of what I suspected was his room.

He looked unsure as he softly said, "Come in."

* * *

Tyr's chambers had a very medieval feel to them. It was probably the stone walls. The floor was mostly covered with a soft red carpet and his room did not have a bed. Instead, against the wall stood a big, elegant, burgundy couch. A small wooden desk was in the corner with parchment and quills on it. A lit fireplace and a couple of lamps illuminated the room.

A low glass table was in front of the couch, and I noticed a closed laptop resting on it. I briefly wondered if Dee would buy me my own today.

He walked gracefully towards the fireplace and moved some logs around with a poker. I fidgeted for something to say.

"You have a nice room."

His voice sounded tense, "What brought you here?"

I sounded apologetic, "I was just looking around. I went up to the sun room, and then came down here. I didn't know this was where you lived."

He straightened up and looked at me. Slowly he nodded and I could feel him relax.

"The dungeons are quite small. It's just this room and the laboratory."

This interested me, "A laboratory?"

Tyr sounded nonchalant, "Yeah, no one uses it anymore except for Atticus, sometimes, when he's doing research. Many of the lords who lived here liked to conduct experiments."

I probably looked confused so he continued, "Experimenting with their blood mostly. The impatient ones tried to figure out how to bring out the main power quickly. None of them had much success."

"The ability to destroy…I still haven't experienced it," I muttered stupidly.

He tilted his head a bit to the side, studying me, "That's quite fortunate for us. It's better if it happens while you're fighting an enemy, not training with a friend."

I could see he was right.

"Speaking of training, I apologize for what happened last time," suddenly he sounded uncomfortable. I blushed and looked away.

He continued, "I was way out of line for letting it happen. I guess the training tired me out."

I knew he was lying. The training wasn't the least bit challenging for him. Nevertheless the rejection hurt. I felt stupid.

"Non sense, I was the one who shouldn't have gotten that close. I could see my actions were not welcome."

He signed, "Bella, it's not about what I want. It's about what is appropriate. I'm a servant and you're a Queen."

His words sparked a glimmer of hope. So he did want me. I looked up and walked towards him.

"Rules. Who cares about rules? If I was just a normal vampire, would you hesitate before kissing me back in the forest?"

He took a deep breath and seemed to think about it for a few seconds. Meeting my gaze he replied, "Not for a moment."

I felt my lips curl into a smile as I came even closer. He looked bewildered.

"Bella--,"

I put my finger on his lips to silence him, "Then kiss me right now. That's an order."

Suddenly his soft lips met mine. I closed my eyes in pleasure. He was so careful and gentle but I wanted more. My hands found the back of his head and I pulled him closer. His hair was so soft.

I felt his strong arms encircle me. My hands traveled to his back as I felt every muscle through his thin black shirt.

I moaned softly as we continued kissing. The gentle kisses were gone replaced by passionate and demanding ones. We stumbled onto his couch but before I could fall his hands caught me and gently lowered me.

I was underneath panting and so was he. My hands feverishly tried to undo his shirt but after a moment I gave up simply ripping the buttons off. I could hear him chuckle in my ear and the next moment his lips were on mine again. I let my hands wonder down his bare chest. His skin was unbelievably smooth and pale.

Tyr pulled away and I could see the passion in his eyes. I knew all of our reason was lost. All I cared about at the moment was the way his lips felt against mine and made me forget about…

Edward.

I froze. Suddenly I remembered his hands on me while I lay beside him. His lips pressed against my cheek. His beautiful eyes. His crooked smile.

Tyr's voice broke my through my painful memories, "Bella? What's wrong?"

I had to leave. I jumped of the couch and ran to the door.

"Bella!"

I looked at him. He was so beautiful and I felt horrible for doing this, but I knew I had to.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this."

I felt myself choke. His confusion and disappointment flooded me. His feelings were on display. I felt what he felt at the moment. This was not the time for a new power to appear, so before he noticed anything I fled.

I ran thought the castle and into the forest. I ran for what seemed like hours but I couldn't get far enough. I no longer felt Tyr's emotion but mine weren't much of an improvement.

Edwards face wouldn't leave me alone. Every time I closed my eyes I would see him. Finally I couldn't move anymore.

I didn't know where I was and I didn't care. I was too angry, too disappointed in myself. But it was all because of him.

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, EDWARD? YOU PROMISED, DON'T YOU REMEMBER?"

I sobbed but no tears came. This made me even madder.

"I HATE YOU!" I screamed at no one. I wished he was here so he could feel my wrath.

I collapsed on the grass and continued sobbing. Why did this have to be so hard?

* * *

I wasn't conscious of my environment for a while. When ever the sobs stopped I'd remember Tyr's face when I left and that got me going again. I hurt him because the asshole just wouldn't leave me alone. In my heart and in my mind he stayed and I didn't know how to make him leave.

But eventually I snapped out of my depressed state. I started feeling alien emotions once again. They were of worry, fright and confusion. The others were getting close.

I didn't want them to see me like this. I pushed myself of the ground and brushed the dirt of my clothes. I tried to pretend I was concentrating on something so when they got here I would lie and say I practicing my new ability.

Soon I could decipher their smells. All of them were coming. I felt bad for worrying them so much.

In less then a minute they arrived and Deidre was the first one I saw.

Her eyes were widened in panic and she looked completely distraught.

She ran towards me and shook me by the shoulders, "Bella, are you alright? Tyr told us you ran of on your own, we were so worried!"

I shrugged, pretending it wasn't a big deal, "I was just practicing my new ability. Seeing if it would work from a far."

Dee gasped in surprise, "That's great! But next time please tell us where you're going. Now, we have to hurry. Me and Blaise found out terrible news while we were in the city. Remember the Seattle killings Tyr told us about?"

I nodded, frowning.

"Well, we found out it's a group of new born vampires, from a source in the city, and they moved to some town called 'Forks'. It's all over the news. Two tourists died already and the police preparing a search. We have to destroy the newborns before the police gets there!"

My mind blanked after she said Forks. Suddenly I remembered Charlie clearly. He could not die. I wouldn't let that happen.

"Bella! Snap out of it! I know this will be your first fight but you're ready! I know it! We have to go right now! You can tell me about your new ability on the way."

I turned around and there was Tyr, Blaise and Atticus. They were looking at me with anticipation. I caught Tyr's eye and somehow I knew he didn't tell the others why I left and what happened between us. We would forget about this for now. There were more important things at hand.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

**AN: Looonggg chapter. I actually have a lot more to write in order to finish up her trip to Forks, but I didn't want to make this chapter any longer. Thank you my wonderful reviewers!!! You guys brighten up my day :) Also I welcome any criticism, as long as it's sufficient/helps me improve my writing. Enjoy!**

We were approaching the airport. Deidre had a private plane waiting, the same one she used to transport me here after I was turned. Blaise would be the one flying us.

We took a quick break to eat so we, specifically I, wouldn't be too distracted by the smell of human blood. I told Dee and the rest about my new found skill but I could tell and feel that they were a bit disappointed. They hoped it was something that could help us in the fight. I on the other hand was quite fond of the ability. Sometimes knowing people's feelings made everything much easier.

I tried to dull it down for now though and I wanted to concentrate on the fight only.

We got on the plane in a hurry and within minutes we were off the ground.

I sat down beside Atticus.

"So why aren't the Volturi handling this?" I inclined.

He looked thoughtful, "We're not sure, they might be on it now, but I have reasons to suspect that they had ties to the group in the beginning. The newborns must have a leader who turned them. It might be more then one vampire actually. If the Volturi were on good terms with the leaders they would wait a while before intervening."

I frowned, "So if they're in on it, and we destroy their newborns wouldn't they be furious with us?"

Atticus chuckled, "Bella, don't you remember we have the upper hand? If they find out that there might be a new Lord, or should I say Queen, they wouldn't dare do anything to her. They're smart. If you lay low there's a high chance they won't really care about you and go on to do their thing. But if you decide to officially claim your power it would take weeks before they'd try to dispose of you. They're careful and they know that you're more powerful then them."

I didn't know if that made me feel better, "So we'll get to Forks, and destroy the newborns. If the Volturi show up you'll tell them I'm the vampire Queen and they'll leave us alone."

Atticus interrupted, "Correct, but they'll know anyway. They will recognize all of us except for you. Your lack of smell will tell them that you're special and they will deduct that you're the new Queen."

I nodded, "Alright, so technically we're not in any danger."

"Well, we do have a group of newborns to kill along with their leaders. But no, no danger," Atticus winked playfully and turned to look through the window.

* * *

We were here. The plane landed in a small airport a couple of hours away from Forks. It would take us only half an hour to get there. This vampire speed really was useful.

I wondered if I would see Charlie. According to Atticus the police team was scheduled to comb through the area tomorrow, long after we were gone. Still I had a silly sliver of hope deep in my heart. It was irrational, as if I did see him I would probably kill him, lured by the smell of human blood.

As we grew closer I started to recognise where we were. Dull memories flashed by and my mood dampened. I tried not to show it, as for some reason I didn't want the others to know about my past. I didn't want them to know I lived here.

Soon we reached the forest. It didn't look intimidating as it was still light outside. The time change didn't really bother me and I attributed that to the fact that I didn't sleep. We walked down the all too familiar path. It was the path I took with Edward whenever we went into the forest. The path I ran down when he left me.

We walked for a minute before Tyr stopped. He seemed to smell the air and I followed his example. The scent of trees and flowers was overwhelming but soon I felt a vague coppery smell. I knew it was old because it barely lingered but I was sure that it was blood.

I looked at the others, "I smell blood and it's not very fresh. I'd say a couple of weeks old at least."

Deidre's beautiful face wrinkled in confusion, "I can't smell anything out of ordinary."

Tyr and Blaise nodded, but Atticus spoke up, "Bella's senses are probably stronger then ours. Is it human?"

I smelled it again but the scent was too vague for me to tell.

"I don't know. Should we go look for the source?"

Tyr shook his head, "If it's that old I doubt we'd find anything useful. The last victim was found three days ago, somewhere deeper in the forest, and since then there was one more reported disappearance. The body has not been found yet. My guess is that if we find the body, the newborns will be nearby."

Slowly we proceeded forward, smelling everything around us. I concentrated hard of finding that coppery scent, but it did not appear again. Eventually we decided to go off the path and explore the nearby area by ourselves.

It was surprising how easy it was not to trip and fall when you were a vampire. My clumsiness was long gone but sometimes I almost missed it.

I moved the tree branched apart and smelled the leaves. It was quite muddy, and my black boots were getting dirty but I didn't care. I wanted to finish the job and get out of here. Too many memories were made at this place.

As on cue I moved yet another green mass from in front of me and suddenly froze. My breathing stopped but it's not like it mattered. I couldn't believe I was here.

The meadow. This place was too symbolic, too meaningful…Pain washed over me.

I walked into it and as usual there was a beam of light hitting the grass. I remembered how he looked that day. He was an angel. For that one moment I wished I could glimmer in the light as well.

I shook my head in anger. I could not think like that. He was no angel. I did not love him. He put me through pain that I did not deserve.

Yet somehow the image of him in the light would not leave.

I was about to return to the others and leave this damned place when I heard a sound that did not belong in the forest. It was a gasp, a gasp that a human would not hear but my heightened senses caught it immediately.

I knew where it came from and I dashed in the direction. Trees blurred by me for a minute or so but soon I halted.

I stood motionless behind a tree watching the scene in front of me. There was the missing victim. It was a young woman, no older then 20. Her blond hair was hitting the ground and her blue eyes were already lifeless. A vampire was kneeling over, his teeth in her neck.

I knew he did not see me and I understood why. The smell of fresh human blood was making me dizzy, and no doubt the vampire was completely absorbed by it.

I tried to shake the daze off. This was my chance and I knew it. There was no time to call the others. If I made a sound he would leave. I had to do this on my own.

I'd jump on him while he was drinking and rip him off the girl. The most difficult part would be ignoring the blood.

He seemed oblivious as I stepped from behind the tree. His bluish hair was obstructing his face and I knew he could not see me. Deciding not to waste anymore time I sprinted at him, emitting a horrifying growl. I was on him before he could even whip his head around. I punched him once, twice. His face was bloody and I didn't know who's blood was it, his or the victims.

Adrenaline was running through me. He tried to push me off with incredible strength but I was stronger.

My hands found his neck and I tried to break it. Suddenly the smell of blood hit me once again and I lost focus for a second. That was all the vampire needed. In a moment he threw me off him and I hit a tree. He was on his feet and ready to attack again. I cursed and forced myself to regain concentration.

I blocked his attack and punched him in the gut but it didn't seem to hurt him. He stumbled briefly and tried to reach for my neck. I knocked his feet from under him and caught him in a head lock. I could feel him spluttering onto my arm.

Suddenly I heard more voices. I couldn't tell who they belonged to so just to be safe I decided to finish off the vampire.

His neck cracked and he hissed in pain. I dropped him and put my foot onto his back. I grabbed his arms and pulled. They tore off almost easily. I stomped my foot hard on his back and heard a crack. The vampire was withering in pain.

The voices were almost here and I signed in relief as I recognised Deidre's. In a second she and Blaise appeared.

She looked at me and then the mutilated vampire. Quickly she said, "Blaise, fuel."

I didn't notice the back pack Blaise had until he took it off his back. He reached inside a produced a red container of fuel.

In 5 seconds the vampire was covered with it. I reached into my pocket for the matches Atticus gave me, lit one and dropped it onto the bloody mass.

The fire danced in front of our eyes.

* * *

We all gathered around the now dying fire. Atticus and Tyr joined us moments ago. They seemed to be strategising our next move. We found the victim but where were the rest of the newborns? I looked into the darkening forest.

I felt a touch on my arm and looked up. Deidre's eyes were serious and concerned.

"Why didn't you call for us? This was dangerous Bella. It was your first real fight."

I shrugged it off, "I'm fine, it wasn't that hard. And if I called it would have blown my cover."

Deidre's gaze remained concerned, "You did a good job, but please remember that you're very important and if some newborn kills you and gets your powers we'd have a much bigger problem on our hands."

I grinned darkly but remained quiet. I was upset. I hoped my final power would appear as soon as I was in a real fight but it didn't. I kicked a rock across the small clearing.

Tyr and Atticus seemed to have stopped their discussion and were walking back to the group. They stopped in front of us.

Tyr spoke, "We're going to go deeper into the forest. The vampire left a scent and we're going to follow it. If we find their lair we will not attack. Instead we're going to try to lure them out one by one or in small groups. Because Bella doesn't have a smell she will act as the decoy."

He raised his eyebrow to see if I agreed and I nodded absentmindedly. He took it as a sign to continue.

"Bella you will approach the lair and stop a good distance away from it. We will be even farther away so our scent will not be caught. You'll scream for help, to alert the vampires of your presence. My guess is that the leader will send one or two to see what's going on.

Your lack of smell will confuse them but we're working with newborns and they're very careless. The leader will probably attribute the lack of smell to the fact that you're far away. When the vampires reach you we will see them and immediately come to your assistance. After we finish them off we'll regroup," Tyr eyed me carefully.

I made a point of sounding confident, "Sounds easy, let's go?"

And we were off. The smell was easy to follow. Tyr was right, these newborns were quite careless.

Eventually I heard a series of voices. They were low and I knew the others could not hear them. I stopped.

"I can hear them. They're just ahead," my voice was no more then a whisper.

Atticus replied in similar fashion, "Okay, Bella move a bit more forward and we'll run back. As soon as they get here we'll come to help you."

He tried to sound reassuring but I wasn't scared. I realised my first victory gave me confidence. I nodded and soundlessly moved towards the lair.

When I was close enough I started yelling, "HELP ME! I'M LOST! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?!"

I was hoping the vampires would just think I'm another lost tourist. They took the bait immediately.

I could hear the hurried whispers and smelled them getting closer. I screamed again.

"HELP!"

They ran faster and I waited. Soon their mixed smells were overwhelming and I knew they arrived.

It was four of them. More then we expected but not enough to pose serious problems. Their eyes were red as they approached me but suddenly one of them hissed.

"She's not a human."

I was off the ground before the words left her mouth. I jumped the first one breaking her neck with one swift move. She did not expect it.

Tyr and the others arrived and I could hear them fighting. The vampire I attacked got up. Her head was bent at an unnatural angle but she was not even close to dying. It took more then that to kill a vampire.

She flew towards me but I parried and attacked. She was faster then the first vampire but lacked in strength. I slammed her into a tree and she slid down. Blood tickled down from her mouth.

I heard Blaise yell, "Bella, catch!"

I whipped around and caught the fuel. Quickly I splashed it onto the female and she realised what I was doing.

Her red eyes widened, "No, please!"

My face remained cold and she realised she would not escape her death. Suddenly she scowled, "Mistress will avenge us."

A second later I dropped the match.

* * *

The others finished their vampires quickly. They didn't stand a chance. I found myself enjoying this and our spirits were high. I gave Deidre a high five and looked at Tyr for further instructions. He did not seem to share our joy.

His face was wrinkled in thought, "They're coming. They heard the battle and smelled the blood."

Deidre gasped, "How many?"

"Most of them, except maybe the leader and a couple others. So far I smell around ten," Tyr closed his eyes in concentration.

I took a big whiff and was suddenly afraid. Tyr was right, there were ten vampires coming our way, approaching at great speed.

Atticus's voice rang out, "Get ready, we'll have to take on two each."

I looked at Blaise and just noticed he had a sword attached to his hip. He drew it out and grinned at me, "Not a problem."

And they came. The battle was a blur. I remember being constantly hit and landing blows of my own. Someone broke my finger but it wasn't bad. I didn't even bleed.

In frustration I went wild. I was biting and clawing and ripping. In a minute two bleeding vampires were crumbled at my feet. I ran over to Deidre and tore a vampire of her. She smiled thankfully and was back on her feet. The clearing was a bloody mess.

The others were doing okay. I could see only three enemy vampires were left standing. I ran over to get the fuel and poured it over the injured newborns that were struggling to get up. Soon the fire was started and I was pulling random body parts that were scattered around into it.

Blaise threw in two more enemies and Tyr followed with the last one soon after. The fire was raging high and it was uncomfortably warm. I moved away and ran towards the others.

Atticus was injured. He was bleeding from a huge gash in his arm. I looked at his face but his signature smile never left it. He looked happy and I realised that this injury was no more then a paper cut for him.

I looked down at my broken finger and realised it healed already. Now I defiantly appreciated what I've become.

The others were looking around trying to smell through the smoke. I knew this wasn't over. The mysterious leader still hasn't shown himself and some newborns were with him.

I looked at Tyr, "Should we go to the lair?"

He was tense, "Yes, lets go, the smell of the fire is blocking everything else."

Tyr moved towards the lair and we followed. The closer we got the more I could smell. There were three more. Not a challenge. I brightened up, maybe this would be easier then we thought.

I didn't know what hit me but suddenly I was on the ground, someone's hands tight on my neck.

An overly sweet scent of strawberries engulfed me.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

**AN: Bahhh! I don't really like this chapter that much but I'm really eager for what's going to come next! Read and Review darlings!**

I felt sick. The smell has gotten stronger and I couldn't even tell what it was anymore. The syrupy sweetness turned foul and I felt my vision blur. Why did this have such an effect on me?

I forced my closing eyes open and for a second my vision cleared. A moment later I wish it didn't.

It was Victoria. She was sitting on top of me, her red hair falling in front of her face. Her features were morphed into a scowl.

I couldn't breathe but that didn't matter. Nevertheless the excruciating pressure on my neck was close to breaking it.

My reflexes kicked in and I grabbed her arms trying to crush them. Victoria grinned.

"Bella, what a wonderful surprise. Just when I thought you moved away, you decide to pop in. I see my plan will be successful in the end."

I growled and forced my hands to grip hers harder. Her face twitched in pain and after a moment I heard a crack. Her right hand was broken. It wasn't much but it gave me a chance to push her off.

I was back on my feet and vaguely noticed that the others were occupied as well. I recognized Laurent fighting Blaise, but didn't have a chance to notice much else. Victoria was getting back up,

I got into a fighting stance and waited for her to attack. Her broken wrist was already starting to heal. She raised her left hand and tried to strike me. I moved away and elbowed her in the abdomen. She hunched in pain.

She looked the same. Burning red hair and a beautiful face. Automatically I thought of James and apparently so did Victoria.

Her face twisted into a cruel grin, "Did you know I loved him? He was the only thing that mattered, and your stupid vegetarians killed him. For a life of a human," she spat out the last word.

I scowled, "He was a monster just like you. You killed all of these innocent people and turned a bunch of vampires just for a personal vendetta."

She let out an angry yelp, "So I did! Just because our love was stronger then yours and that Cullen boy—"

She didn't get a chance to finish as I was already flying towards her. She dodged and let out a piercing laugh.

"What's wrong, Bella? Can't face the truth? He left you didn't he…Probably for someone better. Even now that you're a vampire you're still plain and weak. And you'll always be like that!"

I screamed. Anger flowed through me and I could feel myself loosing my mind. She hit me where it hurt. I damned Edward for leaving that sore spot.

She laughed again and attacked. I was caught of guard and I could feel her nails dig into my skin. My arm burned as she left four bleeding gashes.

The pain was more then I anticipated. Blood trickled down my arm and onto my hand. I rushed Victoria and pressed her against a tree, my hands against her chest.

Suddenly something happened. Her eyes widened in pain and shock as she looked down at my blood, now smeared on the skin below her neck.

I felt something hot and I pulled my hand back. To my surprise Victoria's skin was turning into ash, as if something was burning her from the inside. She gasped in pain and let out a yelp.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME, YOU BITCH?"

I took a step back, my mouth wide open. Victoria's whole chest was crumbling and red tongues of fire were coming out. She looked at me, her black eyes full of fear. My defenses were down and I felt the full blow of her emotions.

I've never heard screams more terrifying then hers. Those screams would stay in my memory forever. She wouldn't stop until her whole body was engulfed by fire. In less then thirty seconds all that was left of her was a pile of ash.

I stumbled back in recovering from the shock. I just realized everything around me was quiet.

I looked up slowly, afraid of what I might see.

As soon as I saw Deidre, Atticus, Blaise and Tyr staring at me I relaxed. They were fine. Tyr was holding Laurent against a tree but he wasn't even paying attention to him. Laurent wasn't trying to escape. His eyes were on the pile of ash.

Slowly Laurent met my gaze, "What are you?" his voice was no more then a harsh whisper.

A second later Tyr snapped out and threw him on the ground. Next thing I heard was the sound of Blaise's sword whipping through the air.

I tore off a piece of my shirt to clean off the blood around the scratches Victoria made. Atticus advised for me to do it on my own as he didn't know if my blood would harm them. He quickly explained that they have never witnessed Kane use this main power and were just as shocked as me.

"I read so much on this, but nothing could depict the reality of it. I'm not quite positive if just touching your blood would cause the reaction to occur. I think you need to have the intent of harming the person," he said thoughtfully.

I was tired and hungry. I remembered the smell of that girl's blood and groaned. The temptation was so high.

"Are we done here?" I mumbled.

Blaise was walking around checking for any pieces of flesh left lying around. His voice sounded tired as well.

"We have to make sure no evidence is left."

I muttered profanities to myself earning an amused look from Tyr. I met his eye and gave him a small smile. I wanted to apologize after all of this was over.

I decided to walk ahead to the lair to see if any evidence of vampires was left there. The place didn't look much different then the rest of the forest. The only thing that stood out was a circle of logs where I presumed Victoria and the newborns strategised.

I walked around sniffing the ground when I heard the sound of footsteps in the distance. I froze and listened quietly. They were getting closer. I tried to make out how many and quickly recognized four sets of feet. They were moving way to fast to be human. Could there really be more newborns?

Suddenly a thought sprang into my mind. The Volturi. It had to be them. Who el—

I couldn't believe it at first but I knew the smell too well. My eyes widened, how could this be? It was vague but not a sliver of doubt remained in my mind. I felt myself panicking. I could not see him.

I recognised the other smells immediately. It was them. Why, why, why?!?!?

I raced back to Deidre and the others. We had to leave. I could NOT see him.

I pushed through the trees and stumbled onto the clearing. The others looked at me, alarm present in their eyes.

"We have to leave," I panted, "There's no time to explain, we have to run."

Deidre looked bewildered, "What are you talking about?"

I whispered feverishly, "Vampires are coming our way—."

"More newborns?" Tyr hissed.

I gasped, "No, just vampires. Look, there's no time. They know me, I have to run. I can't see them. Please, lets go!"

Why did they not understand?!

Atticus seemed to finally grasp the fact that I was serious.

"Look, Bella, if we leave they will still smell us here and follow our scent. They'd want to know who killed the newborns. Eventually they'll catch up. Someone has to stay here in order to not make them suspicious."

I knew he had a point, but the smells were getting stronger. Carlisle was at the front. Good old Carlisle, his scent soft and comforting. Only now I realised how long it's been since I've seen him. He was followed by Emmet, Jasper and…him.

I felt nauseous, "One of them can read minds! And another can control emotions! Whoever stays has to block the mind reader. He can't see me in your thoughts!"

Tyr's calm but serious voice rang out, "I can do that, just tell me which one is the mind reader."

I looked deep into his eyes debating if he really was capable of that. He looked confident and radiated assurance. I breathed out, "The one with the bronze hair. His name is Edward."

The moment his name left my mouth I couldn't stay any longer. I whipped around and ran into the opposite direction. He was close, too close. I thanked god for my lack of smell. I knew he'd know it was me if it wasn't for that.

I heard someone catching up to me and looked back to see Deidre, Atticus and Blaise. I gave them a tight smile and focused on the trail.

We ran out of the forest and I didn't look back.

I didn't talk to the others until we got to the airport. They didn't ask any questions but kept shooting me worried glances. I tried to ignore it.

We boarded our plane quickly, and Blaise went to sit at the front. He was setting up the controls when a thought came into my mind.

"How's Tyr going to get home?"

Deidre looked up at me and cautiously replied, "He'll get a ticket and fly on a public plane."

I pursed my lips but didn't say anything. I felt bad for causing this inconvenience for Tyr. I could never thank him enough for helping me back there. But I also wanted to leave this place and Edward behind as soon as possible.

I turned to the window and watched the clouds slowly float by.

The long plane ride was finally over. We got off and ran back to our house.

I found myself appreciating the time I had to think. No one talked during the whole flight. I think everyone had something on their minds.

I was mentally tired of this. Why did his presence still intimidate me? I couldn't face him. I didn't know what I would do if he saw me. What would he do? Did he move on?

I was still weak and he still had control over my emotions. This could not go on for much longer. I had to prove to myself that I was over him and in order to do that I had to confront him. But I wasn't ready yet. I wanted him to realise what a mistake he made when he left me. I wanted him to see me and want me back, more then anything, but for once his wish would not be granted. I would laugh in his face and tell him that I've moved on.

I bitter smile appeared at the thought. Right, first I'd have to actually get over him.

So how could I speed up the process? I thought back to that time after he left me when I was consumed by anger. The emotion was now dull. If he didn't leave me I wouldn't have turned into a vampire. I wouldn't have met Tyr or Deidre. I wouldn't have power or beauty.

He would still control all of my life. He'd tell me what I could and could not do. He'd keep things from me that were important and force me into situations I hated.

But now I was free. I had more power then all of the Cullens combined. A brief image of Victoria's burning body appeared.

And then an idea popped into my mind. My eyes widened, why didn't I think of this before?

I would declare my presence and come into a position of power. I would reclaim my rightful status and become the true Queen of all vampires.

I let out an uncontrollable giggle. This was perfect! Just imagining his face was priceless. Edward wouldn't know what hit him when he saw me on the throne.

It was hard to contain my excitement all the way back to our house. My smile was almost showing as I forced my lips to stay closed. I'd have to talk to the others about this. Talk to Atticus. See if there was a specific process that had to occur.

We slowed down and walked into the house. It looked the same. We made our way to the living room and plopped down on the couches and chairs.

I took a deep breath. I knew I owed them an explanation.

I opened my mouth to speak but to my surprise Atticus raised his hand in silence.

"Bella, there's a lot you have to tell us but lets wait for Tyr first. I'm sure he wouldn't want to miss it. It would also probably make more sense if we heard what happened back in Forks after we left."

I nodded and stood up.

"I'm going to go change upstairs. I suggest you do the same," a smirk graced my lips.

We still managed to looks graceful in ripped up and bloody clothing but I preferred to be clean as well.

The others made their way up the stairs with me, where we separated to go to our rooms.

The conversation that would follow would be one of the most important in my life.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: New chapter! Also, TwilightG, don't worry. Edward will make his REAL appearance soon enough ;) And also thank you Bella Sangue, Tinc, mydirt09 and everyone else for the amazing reviews!**

I heard the door slam in the distance. I looked in the mirror to check my appearance. I looked calm and composed. I was ready.

I slowly made my way downstairs. When I entered the living room everyone was already there. Tyr looked up as I walked in. His grey eyes were scanning me over in confusion. I looked away and went to sit alone.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for something. I unconsciously started fiddling with my skirt but immediately stopped myself. If I wanted to be a Queen I had to start acting like one.

I decided to begin, "I never really talked about my past in much detail. My life wasn't very exciting up until around two years ago. That's when I moved to Forks to live with my dad. I hated it there at first. It was always raining, I didn't know anyone and the whole town was just so boring. But that changed on the first day of school when I saw them. They were beautiful, pale, perfect…Alice, Jasper, Emmet, Rosalie and Edward," my voice almost wavered at the thought of them.

I continued, "They were a family adopted by a local doctor, Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme. These kids weren't friends with anyone else but their family. Obviously they caught my attention and surprisingly so did I. Edward seemed to be intensely attracted by my blood and it took him a lot of control not to kill me. So he tried to avoid me. I mistaken his actions for hate."

I paused for a second to see everyone's reaction. Their faces were unreadable but I could tell they were listening intently.

"He surprised me when he saved me from a car accident. He moved unnaturally fast in order to prevent a car from crashing into me. Eventually someone told me about a legend that claimed that the Cullens were vampires. At first I didn't believe it but then it started making sense. By that point Edward gave up on trying to ignore me and instead started getting closer to me. We talked a couple of times and finally he admitted to the fact that he was a vampire."

At that Deidre gasped but Blaise shushed her quickly.

I proceeded with my story, "At one point a group of vampires who weren't vegetarians visited his coven. Their names were James, Laurent and Victoria."

Deidre gasped again.

"James was a tracker and after he found out that I was close to the Cullens he thought of me as the perfect target. So Alice and Jasper ran with me while the others tried to intercept James. Eventually he fooled me into believing he had my mom and I gave myself in. He bit me and at the last second the Cullens showed up. They killed James and Edward sucked out the venom."

Everyone seemed to be gaping at me by this point.

I tried to ignore it, "Long story short I grew attached to Edward and his family. I wanted him to change me but he wouldn't. He thought I didn't know what I wanted. After an accident when Jasper almost killed me he concluded his presence put me in too much danger and left. You can see why I didn't want to see them today."

I surveyed the room. The vampires seemed to be in deep thought. Finally Blaise's deep voice broke the silence.

"He sucked out the venom without killing you?"

I nodded.

Blaise's expression was hard to read but his feelings told me he was impressed by that.

"That takes a lot of self control. I don't think any of us would be able to do that."

Somehow his amazement made me angry and I pursed my lips. I turned to Tyr and gave him an inquiring look.

"So what happened after we left?"

His smooth voice calmed me almost immediately, "It took them no more then half a minute to get to me. They thought I was one of the newborns but I convinced them I wasn't. I allowed the bronze haired one to read my mind."

He gave me a pointed look and continued, "I didn't let him see you. As soon as I felt him reaching deeper I focused on seeing their past. Edward voiced out my ability immediately and told me to stop it but I said that I could not control it. The older one told him to stay calm. He asked me what I was doing here and I told him that we heard about the trouble with newborns. I had to tell him who I was. As soon as they found out I was one of the guardians of the vampire lords the tone turned friendly. The bigger one introduced himself as Emmet and asked me if I killed all the newborns alone. I knew your smell still lingered as you left so recently," he nodded towards Dee, Atticus and Blaise, "so I told him I had three more people with me."

"He asked why you left and I said that we could not leave our coven unprotected for long. I offered them our help if they ever ran into any trouble in hopes that they would trust me enough not to follow me when I left. The older one accepted graciously and we gave each other our contact information. I left soon after," the room became quiet again.

So he saw Edward's past. No wonder he looked confused when I came into the room. I let out a small groan. But still, Edward did not see me and that was very good news.

It was now or never. I coughed to get their attention and stood up. All eyes were on me. I closed my eyes for a second and imagined the near future. Yes, I wanted it.

I looked at them and tried to look as serious as possible.

"I have something to tell you."

Four pairs of eyes were watching me intently.

"I want to take my place as a Queen."

The moment the words left my mouth the room came alive. Deidre emitted a moan and sank deeper into the couch. Atticus's face morphed into one of his rare frowns. Blaise started muttering to himself and Tyr's face turned to stone. I waited for them to compose themselves. I didn't think such negative reaction was justified.

Atticus's pleading voice spoke up, "Bella you don't know what you're doing."

I was starting to get angry. Did they all think I was completely incompetent?

Tyr refused to look at me, "It's been almost two hundred years since a chosen one actually declared himself."

Blaise growled, "Do you even realize in how much danger you would put yourself and us in?"

Atticus quickly interrupted, "It's not about us, Blaise. Bella if you announce yourself you'll have a ton of dangerous people after you and if one of those people kills you and gets your power…the consequences will be grave."

I hissed through my teeth, "I'm not helpless, when is anyone going to understand that? Did you not just see me destroy those vampires? I have a right to be in power and you can not stop me from achieving that."

Deidre seemed to be snapping out of her despair, "Bella, please, think this over. You were practically just turned! You're not ready!"

I let out an angry yelp. My eyes were flaring in frustration. I could not deal with this anymore.

I hissed, "My mind is made up. Talk to me when you've finally accepted your responsibility of doing what I tell you to do," and with that I was gone.

I sat in the clearing where I and Blaise used to train. It was sunrise. The bright rays were hitting me and I noticed that really up close my skin did seem to sparkle a little bit. Or maybe it was just my imagination.

I have finally cooled down after that argument. I felt bad for lashing out like that at the others. They have not done me any harm. I let out a long breath.

I could hear someone approaching and I lazily looked behind my shoulder. It was Atticus.

He sat down on the tree trunk beside me and looked towards the sun. He was glittering everywhere and it was a bit distracting. I kept looking at his gentle hand. He really was my guardian angel.

He tuned to meet my gaze and gave me his signature smile. I returned it but mine had a certain sadness to it. Atticus's emotions were so pure. I could feel his brotherly love, caring and worry for me. It made me feel even guiltier.

He looked very calm, "Bella I know you said your mind is made up but I just want you to listen to me for a minute. You need to know your options before you make such an important decision."

He cautiously waited for my response and I simply nodded for him to continue.

"What Kane and many others did was remain here, in seclusion. Most were known to the Volturi but on very unofficial terms. If there was a problem that was serious but wasn't being fixed Kane went to fix it. The Volturi obviously knew about it but as long as Kane wasn't trying to get any of their precious power they didn't have anything against him. What other vampire lords did, for example the famous Darius, was take their throne. This meant without him no political decisions were made. He was the Lord, than there was a small group of advisors, usually his guardians, and then a counsel. The counsel consisted of powerful, established vampires. It was usually those vampires who wanted to get rid of the Lord."

He became quiet for a minute and I soaked the information in.

"There aren't many large vampire covens because vampires are aggressive beings. We're selfish. We don't like being told what to do. Now imagine a government. Without intimidation it would be chaos. During Darius's time his system stayed together because his guardians had a firm hold on the whole counsel. The counsel was threatened and watched all the time. Without that Darius wouldn't have had time for anything else but protecting his own life from frequent assassination attempts. Now imagine you come out of nowhere and declare to the Volturi that you're their Queen and they have to do what you tell them to. Just envision their reaction. They'll be furious! They'll start planning your death before you get your name out! It will be a constant fight for your life."

I could feel myself getting nervous. Atticus was really driving his point home. I knew what it felt like, being on the run twenty four seven. I didn't want to be like that again…for my whole life.

I urged him to finish, "Is there something else?"

His brows furrowed in thought, "There is another option. It's risky but it kind of borrows from the other two. You organise a coming out gala. Everyone who's anyone is invited. You make yourself known, officially, to the Volturi and the rest of the community but you don't force them to serve under you. You would not command them but out of formality they would probably alert you of any important decisions anyway. This way they would not be intimidated by the fact that their power might be decreasing because it won't. You'll simply say that a life of seclusion is not for you and that you want to be known of."

Thoughts were running through my head at the speed of light. Would that really work? Would I be satisfied with being a passive observer?

I didn't notice Atticus stand up. His fingers lightly touched my arm and I jumped. He smiled and motioned me to walk with him.

We started back in the direction of the castle. I pondered over my options and to my disappointment noticed that I seemed to be favouring the latter.

I groaned, I was too easy to persuade.

We made our way back in silence and Atticus opened to door for me. The moment I walked into the castle I was hit with anger, panic and confusion all at once.

I could see Dee opening her mouth but I quickly silenced her. I did not want to hear any more begging or accusations.

My eyes scanned them over and I simply stated more to Atticus then anyone else, "Fine, I'll go with option three."

His smile grew which was quite the contrast to the other's confused faces. I left him to do the explanations and fled the scene.

The library waited for me.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the wonderful works of Marilyn Manson**

**AN: Longer chapter! Thank you for reviewing guys! Also I personally rarely read lyrics(I know I'm horrible) in most fanfictions, just because i want to get on with the story, but I encourage you to read the ones in this chapter! Enjoy :)**

I guessed Atticus told everyone not to bother me for a bit which I was grateful for. I read dozens of books in the past couple of hours. Vampire speed allowed me to do that.

My research proved to be helpful. I knew that I could have just asked Atticus about how we were going to go about my coming out into the society but I wanted to stop relying on people. This might have been a futile attempt but it was an attempt nevertheless.

I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have to go through any extremes. It seemed that only a big celebration was mandatory. I wasn't as reluctant for that as I used to be during my human days.

Some details were included like serving human blood. I wasn't quite sure what that meant. I'd have to discuss this with the others.

There was also a detailed description of how everything was to be decorated which just made it easier for me.

I grabbed the books and put them back onto the shelves. The silence in the library was starting to get to me and I decided to return to the others.

They were waiting for me outside. I forced myself to keep my eyes up.

Deidre ran up to me, her face now happy.

"Bella! I knew you'd change your mind! This is so much better I can't wait to start the planning! Your party will be remembered for centuries."

I winced involuntarily. At that moment she reminded me of Alice too much, but she didn't seem to notice my reaction.

"I'm going to start writing the guest list. There's so much to do!" happily she almost skipped out of the room.

Blaise gave her a scornful look and glanced at me. He shook his head in his arrogant manner and muttered something about women. That brought a smirk to my face.

I took the brief silence as a chance to ask a couple of questions.

"Atticus, I read something about serving blood at the event. What exactly does that mean?"

Atticus's beautiful face turned foul, "It's one of the traditions that personally, I find unnecessary. What that means is that we're going to have to drain humans for their blood beforehand and store it somewhere. It's supposed to test the strength of the guardians, see if they can stop drinking once they've started," he gave Blaise a pointed look which send shivers down my back. Now that I've thought about it I could see Blaise being extremely cruel to the helpless humans he killed.

"Bella, you have yet to try human blood. We put it off long enough already. You and Deidre should go to the city sometime soon," Atticus looked back at me.

I nodded in understanding but couldn't help the bitter feeling that crawled into my mind.

"Anyways, I and Blaise have things to take care of. I'll see you later," Atticus gave a discreet look at Tyr but I caught it and realised that this was planned. He wanted to talk to me alone and so did I.

As the two males left I also got up. Tyr looked like he was about to stop me but I motioned for him to follow me.

We entered the living room and I took a seat. Tyr sat down across from me.

After a second of silence we both opened our mouths to speak at the same time. I let out an uncomfortable laugh, "Go first."

He nodded gracefully and looked me in the eyes.

"Bella," his voice was tense, "answer me honestly. Were you seriously involved with Edward?"

He knew the answer but he wanted to hear it directly from me.

I tried not to show emotion, "Yes."

He signed something I've rarely seen him do and I misunderstood the gesture.

"Tyr, it's in the past. I'm sorry I ran out on you, but I'm better now. I thought about it for a while. I'm over him."

He shook his head sadly, "The feeling is not mutual, Bella. I've never seen a man more broken before."

My heart clenched painfully at his words, "What do you mean?" I whispered.

His beautiful eyes were clouded with an emotion I could not decipher even when I tried to feel it.

"Bella, if only you've seen him. It was painful to watch. He looks like a ghost. When I looked into his recent past all I could see was chaos. He didn't know what to do with himself. For the most part he stayed in his empty room, alone."

My chest squeezed and I tried to compose myself. Imagining him like that was hard, even if I didn't love him.

Tyr's quiet voice started again, "As I looked deeper I saw you. The image of you was strong it almost hid everything else. The only memory that was painfully clear was when he left you. I saw your face as he said the words. You have no idea what he felt—what he feels right now. I couldn't even feel any anger towards him for taking your heart."

I shook the sadness for him off, "No, he doesn't deserve your pity. I don't want to hear it. He chose to do this himself. If he regrets his decision this much then why didn't he try to find me? Find me while I was still human, thinking of him every second of my life? No, he wanted to leave me and eventually he'll get over it, just like I did."

Tyr studied my expression, "And what if he doesn't?"

I frowned, "Then that's too bad for him."

Suddenly Tyr's face turned cold, "You've changed, Bella. You're not the Bella I saw in his memories."

I scowled, "Then what kind of Bella am I now?"

I felt his anger and pity, "A cruel shell of what you were."

His words struck a cord somewhere deep down inside of me and I repelled, "Me, cruel?! Don't you think he was cruel?! He gave me everything and tore it away from me in a second! I was left alone, with no hope left! And now I'm supposed to feel sorry for him?! For what? He brought this onto himself, he had a choice! I didn't have a choice!"

I was sobbing, begging for tears to come but I knew they wouldn't. Tyr was holding me in his strong arms whispering soothing words in my ear, and I just felt so horrible. I told him I was over Edward, so why did this affect me so much? I sobbed into his cold shoulder, clenching onto his clothes. I begged silently in my mind for him not leave me. I couldn't be alone right now.

His hands moved rhythmically over my back slowly calming me down. I don't know for how long we sat there, on the floor but it felt like forever. As my sobs stopped his breath tickled my ear.

"Don't worry Bella, it's alright. I'm sorry for making you feel guilty. It was not my place to meddle in things I know nothing of."

I nodded in acceptance of his apology and whispered with my hoarse voice, "I'm sorry too…for being so confusing. I know you might not believe me especially after this but I really do not love him anymore. And I still want to give us a chance if you allow it."

He pulled back to look me in the eyes and was silent for a second.

"You're right, I don't believe you Bella."

Sobs were threatening to erupt again.

"But maybe it will turn into the truth soon," he smiled showing his beautiful teeth as he watched my hopeful expression.

My stomach fluttered as he leaned in and pressed his soft lips against mine.

* * *

A week passed but it seemed like much less. Now my days were constantly busy. I've never planned anything really, and only now I was starting to appreciate people who loved doing this.

The celebration's grandeur was hard to process. According to Deidre our place was too insignificant for the party. So she picked out a wonderful castle in France that had a ballroom twice the size of ours, fifteen bedrooms, two libraries, a huge basement and even a secret passage that led to another castle near by. I didn't bother asking about the historical significance of it, or how on earth she managed to book it.

The boys were there already and I and Dee were getting ready to leave tomorrow. She reminded me of Alice more and more everyday but it didn't bother me.

Her excitement for shopping and wondering the streets of Paris was infectious. I even agreed to accompany her to the most expensive boutiques. I had to shop for a gown anyway.

We followed the traditional decorating plan which turned out pretty complicated. Dee was in charge of ordering and finding everything we needed that ranged from gold candle holders to banners centuries old that were stashed in one of the numerous storage rooms of our house.

The good thing was that we didn't need to order any food, except for the blood which would act as the main meal served in crystal glasses. This was one of the main reasons for Atticus, Blaise and Tyr leaving early. They wanted to get a head start.

I packed my scarce belongings in one suitcase while Deidre insisted on bringing half of her closet resulting in us having to drive to the small airport. We parked and were greeted by an irritated Blaise. Deidre made him fly back here to pick us up. Because, god forbid we took a public airplane, I thought sarcastically just to correct myself a second later. I didn't even want to think about being surrounded by dozens of humans for a couple of hours.

During the plane ride she wanted to discuss the freshly written guest list.

"So the Abrahams should be able to make it if we send out the invitation soon. Obviously The Volturi, they wouldn't miss this for the world. Hmm…The Shevlins, Taggarts, The Jayne coven and The Crowley family. That covers the most important groups of vampires. Oh and the Denali of course."

I raised my head in recognition but Deidre was too preoccupied to notice. Quickly I added, "Don't forget the Cullens."

She hesitated and seemed like she was about to say something but changed her mind and quietly wrote the name down.

Her chatter resumed and she listed more names that didn't mean anything to me. I simply nodded to show her that I was still listening.

The time it took to get to France was much shorter then that to Forks and before I knew it we were getting of the plane. Blaise already had a car but rented us another one so that we could stay in Paris for a couple of days while he went back to the castle. It was an hour or two away in a small town.

We got into a relatively new black BMW. Deidre insisted on driving and grudgingly I let her. She turned on the stereo and laughed as she heard the first eerie notes. I gave her a questioning look but she remained silent. I listened to the lyrics.

_6 AM, Christmas morning  
No shadows  
No reflections here  
Lie cheek to cheek in your cold embrace._

_It started so tragic as a slaughterhouse  
She pressed the knife against your heart  
And say that 'I love you' so much you must kill me now.  
I love you so much you must kill me now..._

_If I was your vampire  
Slim as the moon  
Instead of killing time  
We'll have each other till the sun._

_If I was your vampire  
Death waits for no one.  
Put my hands across your face  
Because I think our time has come._

After thirty seconds I forced a laugh, "Was Blaise trying to be funny?"

Deidre shrugged and smiled, "He has a strange sense of humor. If I was your vampire..."

She looked back at the road as I continued listening but the song wasn't funny to me. It reminded me of…

_Digging your smile apart with my spade tongue  
And the hole is where the heart is  
We built this tomb together  
I will fill it alone._

_Beyond the pale  
Everything's black no turning back…_

I gulped. This was bringing too many memories back as I thought of the hole that I've felt in my heart after he left. What scared me was that I wasn't sure if it healed or if I just grew accustomed to it.

* * *

We were getting closer to the city but it was almost night time. Our excursions would have to wait until tomorrow. The ride was only supposed to take half an hour but suddenly Deidre pulled over.

I looked at her confused, "What's wrong?"

She turned of the ignition and pulled out the key, "Bella, we're going to be staying in a hotel."

I nodded, where was she going with this?

She looked at me like I was stupid, "Bella, you have to eat! I don't want you jumping the receptionist!"

"Oh," I added lamely. I could feel myself getting nervous.

She got out of the car and motioned me to follow. I hurried after her. She was heading towards a bar a bit ahead of us. I gulped, "Dee, this is too close to the city! What if someone sees us and then tells the police our description?"

She gave me a funny look, "We? I'm fine, I ate before we left and I can control myself pretty well."

I continued, "Alright, but what about me—,"

"Bella, what's wrong with you today! Have you forgotten about your powers?" she gave me a scolding look.

I really did feel stupid at the moment but I haven't changed my appearance in a while. We neared the bar and Deidre stopped, "Okay I'll wait for you here. You should change now."

She looked at me expectantly as I started to morph. I turned my hair blonde, added straight bangs, made my eyes green and forced my body to grow longer. Then I lengthened my nose and made my lips a bit fuller.

Deidre whistled, "You look like you walked out of a magazine. Go get them," she winked but I didn't share her good mood. She called back after me, "Don't do it in public!"

I nodded lightly and continued walking.

The bar was surprisingly crowded and that was all I noticed before I was hit with the smells.

I could smell the blood and I knew that if my eyes weren't turned green they would be pitch black. I felt drunk as I struggled not to wobble. The smells were all a bit different but still the same. The salty, coppery smell that I used to hate was now giving me unreal pleasure.

Some unlucky bloke came from behind of me and put his hand around my shoulder. I could smell the alcohol of him.

"Hey girlie, wanna dance? Or do you want me to buy you a drink first?" he said with a heavy French accent.

I growled feeling my animal instincts kick in, "I think I'd like a drink first."

He hiccupped and laughed as I pulled him towards the corner of the joint. It was dark and secluded; everyone else was either at the bar or dancing on the dance floor. I pushed him up against the wall.

"Oooh, I like my women fies--,"

He didn't finish the sentence.

* * *

I hurried out of the place trying to wipe all of the blood of my mouth. It turned out messier then I've thought and my clothes had blood stains on them.

I saw Deidre in the distance and walked towards her. She looked at me and clucked at my clothes.

"Don't worry you'll get better."

I barely registered her words or the clean clothes she gave me. My mind was in a daze, I couldn't see straight. Human blood was nothing like that of an animal. I found myself appreciating Carlisle even more. The strength it took him to resist it... I don't think I could.

The feeling didn't compare to anything.

I climbed into the car and changed my shirt. My features turned back to normal. Deidre kept her quiet, probably knowing that it was useless talking to me now.

We reached the hotel just as my drunken state faded. I felt rested and strong. Possibly stronger then I've ever been.

The receptionist emitted a pleasant smell but it was much easier to ignore it now that my stomach was full. We took the elevator up to our suite on the top floor. The place was roomy and light. I plopped down on the bed.

"So what are we doing?"

Deidre gave me a mischievous smile, "Going out of course!"

I rolled my eyes, "Dee it's almost eleven, all of the stores are closed."

She laughed, "No silly! Come on, look where we live, in the middle of nowhere! Now that we're finally in a big city, we're not passing up a chance to party! Paris never sleeps, didn't you know that?"

I signed in defeat. This was not going to turn out well.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

**AN: This was just a fun little chapter, not a lot is happening but I thought I'd show how Bella's relationships have grown. Yes, Bella did eat a human. Please remember, she is still a newborn. The other's all feed on humans and we know how easily she is influenced. I don't think this makes her or the others 'monsters'. They're vampires, its their nature to kill people to survive. I'm not saying she doesn't feel remorse for doing it or that she enjoys the act of killing or even that she's going to stay that way forever. So just bare with me. Also I really dislike when fanfics have random brand names in them. It works for some books(Gossip Girl) but a lot of times it just looks pretentious. So I tried to avoid that, but the stores that Bella goes in are actual stores and you can probably guess what they are pretty easily if you're interested in that kind of stuff. Anyways enough blabbering, read on!**

My arm was linked through Deidre's as we walked down the uneven road of downtown. I kept waiting for the moment when I trip over my high heels and fall on my face but surprisingly my balance was perfect. For the millionth time I thanked the fact that I was a vampire.

The mood was light. We were walking past pubs and bars, trying to find the club that Deidre claimed to be her favorite. Apparently she travelled here every couple of years.

Finally she spotted it and pulled me across the street giggling. I felt like a teenager. Oh right, I was a teenager.

We approached the tall doors where a bouncer was blocking our way. He gave us a once over and I could see his eyes widening. He composed himself and tried to sound intimidating, "Are you on the guest list?"

I let Dee handle it, "Deidre Spelman," she said in a husky voice.

The bouncer gulped and I could see him melting from her advances.

"It should be somewhere on the bottom," she giggled girlishly making the man blush.

He pretended to look at the list, too dazed to really care.

"Go right ahead ladies."

I could feel pangs of jealousy and anger from people who were standing around after being rejected entrance.

We waltzed in and I gaped at my surroundings. This was so not what I've imagined. I expected a packed place, filled with sweaty guys and slutty girls. I was met with something much better. We walked into the first room which was a lounge with cream colored arm chairs and a medium sized bar in the corner. The walls were painted in a soft yellow color and floor lights along the walls illuminated the room quite well. A group of ten or fifteen people were chatting softly and drinking their Cosmos out of clear glasses. Deidre didn't stop and walked through the room into the one beside it. This was a bit more crowded. The soft color on the walls stayed but the lights were a lot dimmer. People were dancing in the middle of the room on a descended dance floor while others sat at the bar which went around the whole room.

Another thing that struck me was that everyone looked beautiful. I looked at Deidre.

"Where are we?"

She laughed, "You should know by now I only settle for the best."

She pulled me to the dance floor but I shook my head violently, "Are you crazy? I can't dance!"

She pouted, "Oh come on Bella! What are you going to do then? You're not about to get drunk and mope around! Not that you can get drunk of this human crap anyway."

I gritted my teeth, "It was not my idea to come."

She begged, "Just one dance! Maybe you'll like it!"

And I gave in for the millionth time today. The song was fast paced and upbeat and in a second me and Dee were moulding with the dancing crowd. I was surprised of how graceful I was on the dance floor but shrugged it off quickly. I could see people were giving me appraising looks and handsome, wonderfully scented human males would come and dance with me.

It wasn't half as bad as I imagined it to be. I could see Deidre enjoying herself with a brunette, swinging her hips to the beat. I decided to take a break as the smells were starting to get too appealing to me. I gave the blond who was currently dancing with me an apologizing look and drifted off to the side. I approached the bar and sat on one of the high stools. A female bartender asked me if I wanted anything but I politely refused.

Suddenly I felt like I was being watched. I tried to shake the strange feeling off but it only got stronger.

I scanned the dancing crowd but didn't see anything peculiar. As my eyes traveled across the room I was met with an unwelcome sight that made me whip back around.

I was breathing in gasps. The one and only Rosalie was sitting on an identical bar stool some forty feet away from me.

I had to think fast. I didn't know if she recognized me and there was no way I could decipher her feelings from the other ones in the room.

As the bartender moved to the far left customer I looked down, in an effort to try and hide my face, and began the transformation. I changed my eye color, my nose, eyebrows, lips and cheekbones. I could do nothing else without it being noticed from behind.

I waited for a moment before standing up and walking back to where Dee was dancing. I could feel Rosalie's gaze on me so I made sure to hold my head up high, so that she'd clearly see the fake face I've created.

As I walked closer to her I could finally grasp bits of her emotions. She was confused but her surprise was slowly fading into something calmer. She thought she was seeing things.

I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding. I was safe for now.

I wiggled through the crowd and finally reached Deidre. She looked at me in confusion but then recognition crossed her features, "Bella? What's up?"

I danced along side and discreetly whispered, "Wait ten minutes, then meet me on the corner of the street."

* * *

I gulped fresh air as I exited the club. I didn't dare change back my appearance. My paranoia was at the highest level possible.

What was she doing here? Were the others with her? I decided against it. She probably wouldn't be at a club alone if Emmet was here. She probably just came here to do some shopping.

I realised that I had no idea where the Cullens were staying at the moment. I always thought they'd be in Alaska but only now I became aware of the fact that I never knew for sure.

I passed back and forth waiting for Dee to show up. Eventually her elegant silhouette made its way down the street.

She almost ran to me, "What happened?" her voice was a low whisper that no human would hear but I was worried Rosalie to turn up around the corner.

I shushed her and pulled her back towards the hotel. We quickly made our way upstairs and I locked the door.

She let out a groan, "Bella this is killing me! What's going on?"

I started pacing again, "I saw one of the Cullens at the club. I don't think she recognized me, but I'm not sure."

Deidre's pretty eyebrows furrowed, "Are you sure you want them coming to the party?"

I gave her a convincing look, "Of course, that why I don't want any of them to see me before hand. I want it to be a surprise."

I could feel a cruel smile forming as Deidre frowned.

"Bella, I don't want you to be angry, but tell me honestly. Are you doing all of this just to get revenge?"

I stopped in my tracks and glared, "Are you joking? I'm not stupid. I know how important this is, and I would never do it just because of revenge. Nevertheless if she recognized me who knows what the rest of the family would do," and Edward I added in my mind, "so I would like to avoid any possible complications."

Dee let out a sign, "I have a feeling this is going to turn out complicated weather we like it or not."

I didn't disagree.

As the morning approached we packed up and went downstairs. We would not be returning to the hotel. The sun wasn't completely out so we didn't have to worry about our "condition".

We stuffed out bags in the trunk of the car and Deidre once again insisted on driving. I didn't mind as I had no clue where we were going.

We drove down tiny streets and I was constantly worrying about running into someone. My hunger was slowly returning but I had it completely under control.

Deidre reached a square plaza and parked our car along the sidewalk. I got out and was automatically aware of how different this looked compared to the streets we just drove on. Just like in the club everyone walking around the square looked elegant and composed. I did a double take when a woman who looked a lot like a movie star I remembered walked by.

The first store we went into was light and spacious. Bags were displayed on shelves that lined the walls. I could hear Deidre squeal.

"Yes! They have the new collection!"

I groaned as an employee came up to help her look around. She almost skipped off and I was left alone. I decided I might as well see if they had any dresses.

The first floor seemed to only hold handbags so I made my way upstairs. Another female employee came up to me, "Can I help you with anything, Mademoiselle?"

Usually I would prefer to browse alone, but I had no clue for what to look when it came to dresses.

I answered, "Sure, I'm looking for a gown. Preferably nothing too extreme."

She gave me a knowing look, "Come right this way."

For the next fifteen minutes we walked around the store. The employee who introduced herself as Amelie, was showing me dress after dress. I picked out three that I wanted to try on.

The first one was a brownish gold dress with a big puffy skirt. It was simple but also unique. The second one was black and form fitting with low cleavage. The final one was a deep forest green with the skirt only reaching me knees.

I tried them on and I really liked first one but Deidre finally found me, took one look and violently shook her head.

"Too informal Bella, I doubt you'll find anything here that would suit you for the ball but it is cute so you might as well get it. I got you a bag as well."

I stuttered angrily, "Dee! What if I don't like it!"

She waved me off, "Bella it's a classic, you can't not like it. Every woman should have one…or seven like me."

She pulled me towards the cash register and where she was paying for the bags she got plus my dress. When I took a look at the total I almost fainted.

"Are you crazy? We bought three things!"

She groaned, "Don't embarrass me, Bella!"

* * *

My mood was already dampened. I just could not stand wasting so much money on clothes but Deidre wouldn't even hear my pleas to go somewhere less expensive.

"Okay, where to next?" she looked around and suddenly her eyes lightened up, "Of course! Lets go, I can guarantee you'll love this place."

She almost ran towards the next boutique. I must say I was impressed with the display. One of the mannequins was wearing a leather warp coat that was covered with black studs and somehow still managed to look ridiculously elegant.

I walked in and something told me that Deidre was right. This place was different. Wherever I looked I saw something I liked. I didn't know where to start.

I decided to look at the coats first. All of them seemed to be black or dark shades of gray.

I carefully looked through them and picked out a dark grey one with a thick black leather belt around the midsection.

Deidre walked up to me with an employee trailing behind her.

"Go to the change room I picked out some things for you!" she giggled excitedly and I groaned but followed.

There were at least four items hanging on the coat hangers in the change room.

There was a cute set of a short sleeved dress shirt and a skirt. I tried it on and Deidre gave me the thumbs up. Next was a pant and jacket set that was a bit too formal for my liking but Dee insisted on getting it.

Finally I was left with two dresses: a sleeveless one that started just above my cleavage and had a leather belt around the midsection, and a silk silvery v-neck that hung low but still covered me quite well.

Both fit perfectly and I couldn't decide. Finally I settled on the v-neck dress as it exposed almost all of my pale back and made me feel quite mature and attractive.

Deidre paid and this time I decided not to look at the price. No point in spoiling one shopping experience that I actually liked.

By the time we made it to the castle it was around three o'clock. Dee was excited to see place and ran off right away to explore every closet and room.

Blaise and Atticus were no where in sight as I tugged my bags upstairs. I decided to settle in the closest room I could find.

The first door on the right led into a spacious washroom. I groaned and continued walking. The second door revealed a bedroom and I hurried in.

It was cold, and I knew that in my human form I would be freezing. The décor was dark and everything seemed to be either royal blue or brown. The furniture was oak contributing to the brown while the carpets, bed sheets and the walls were all blue.

I dropped my bags on the floor and approached the vanity resting against the wall.

My reflection stared back at me. The dark circles under my eyes were slowly coming back as time passed since I last ate. Besides that I looked pretty relaxed even though I really wasn't feeling all that great.

I heard a knock on the door frame and smiled when his soft smell reached my nose.

I turned around.

Tyr was leaning against the doorframe mirroring my smile. Without a moment of hesitation I walked into his waiting arms.

His face pressed into my hair and a low satisfied chuckle escaped.

"Are we alone?" usually we wouldn't dream about embracing anywhere besides the confines of our rooms. Neither I nor Tyr wanted to know how the others would react to our romance.

"Mhm," his response was muffled by my hair, "They're all outside, landscaping under Deidre's command."

I chuckled, "How did you manage to escape?"

"I volunteered to show you around," his smooth voice vibrated down my ear. I leaned away and gave him a peck. Just when I was about to pull back he pushed me closer and deepened the kiss. My muffled giggles escaped my busy mouth. His tongue was smooth and cold.

After a minute we disentangled from each other and I went over to sit on the bed. He followed me.

"So how did the shopping go?" his swollen lips looked too inviting.

"It was okay, I bought my dress and a couple of other things," I gestured towards the pile of bags on the floor.

"Any trouble?" Tyr's voice became serious.

I looked down. I knew Dee would tell them about Rosalie so there was no point in hiding it, "I ran into one of the Cullens, but she didn't see me. No big deal."

I tried to make it sound casual but I could see his eyes narrow a bit.

"Well as long as nothing happened…Did you eat?"

I was glad he didn't dwell on it, "Yeah, I changed my appearance so there would be no chance we'd get recognised."

He nodded, "Good, I knew it wouldn't be a problem for you."

I wasn't sure if he was referring to taking a human life or catching the prey. Suddenly I thought of something.

"You guys really don't feed that much on humans."

Tyr looked startled by the statement, "Well we live far from any big settlements and you know it's not good to kill in small villages. Also Kane was never too fond of killing humans. He did it once in a while but he didn't indulge in it like a lot of other vampires. And it's almost customary for the guardians to follow the feeding habits of the Lord. If you told us you wanted to be a 'vegetarian' we would also stop feeding on humans. It's the polite thing to do but I'm sure Blaise wouldn't be very happy."

I let out a dark chuckle at the last statement but still this was comforting to know.

"So did you get all the blood we needed for the party?"

Tyr shook his head, "No, not much. We want it to be fresh so we'll get most of it done a day or two before the celebration. There's still a week left."

This caught me off guard, for some reason I didn't think it was this soon.

I looked at Tyr my face wearing a serious expression, "Tell me truthfully, is there anything I should expect?"

He signed and looked away, "Bella you have to expect everything. Be always on your guard. Even though your position doesn't pose much of a threat to the Volturi they still might try to destroy you in order to get your power. Most importantly don't tell or show them your abilities. This way they won't know what to expect."

I was absorbing everything he was saying like a sponge, "How should I act towards them?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment, "Don't be too friendly, they'll think your naïve. But also don't be rude, they'll take it personally. Just try to stay in control and not show any strong emotions."

I looked at him from under my eyelashes, "Will you stay with me the whole time?"

His face broke into a grin, "Of course, little Bella."

I giggled as he pushed me down on the bed and his lips were on mine again.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Sorry for the delay, I have an essay on Plato due next monday and a history seminar to prepare. Busiest 2 weeks of my life. Also I finally got writer's block. But I think I'm god now, so more to come soon! Enjoy, even if its not that great. Oh and Bella's dress, the link to it is in my profile!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight **

Soft murmur was emitting from downstairs. I was hesitant to go down and chose to slowly get ready in my room.

The guests haven't arrived yet. I didn't even bother asking how many would come, surely it didn't matter.

Who knew vampire services existed? Deidre somehow managed to find a couple of waiters and musicians to help us through the night. I had the idea that vampires were too proud to do jobs like that, but Deidre explained that very young vampires who were turned against their own will saw big event like these as an opportunity to make acquaintances and would do anything to attend.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I felt obligated to put on some make up. My eyes were darkened with eyeliner and mascara, my lips were covered with a layer of lip gloss and I even wore the softest blush.

Deidre helped me do my hair and now it was falling in thick curls down my exposed back.

She laughed at me when I started panicking about forgetting to buy shoes.

"I took care of it! I wanted it to be a surprise," her face was excited but I could tell she was just as anxious as me.

I put on my dress and the shoes that of course matched perfectly.

I couldn't help but admire myself. For once I really did look perfect.

A smirk crossed my lips as I imagined the Cullens' shock when they'd see me up on the podium giving my speech.

I had it memorized and even though Tyr and Atticus offered their help I refused. I wanted to write it alone.

The door bell rang and I lifted my head up in alert. Someone arrived. The nervousness was finally sinking in as I realised that tonight I would be the main attraction for the most powerful vampires in existence. Of course I couldn't forget that I was the most powerful.

This night would change my life…again. Just like that night in the park when Kane bit me. I though of him with a certain fondness. I really wish I could have known him before he sacrificed his life to give me mine.

I was too engrossed in my thought to hear Tyr walk in, and jumped as his arms circled my waist.

He murmured in my ear, "Nervous?"

I shook my head trying to convince myself more then anyone else.

He chuckled, "Don't worry about it, I'll follow you around everywhere even though I'm sure you'd be able to take care of yourself."

I grinned, finally someone who didn't think of me as a helpless damsel in distress.

I wiggled in his arms to face him and gave him a soft peck. As I looked into his eyes I saw something behind them I couldn't recognise. His voice sounded playful but there was an undertone of sadness.

He signed and kissed me again, this time deeply. I pressed myself against him feeling his hard chest, cold chest. The kiss was familiar, and as I slowly realised what it reminded me of I pulled away.

It was a careful, pleading, goodbye kiss, but this time I knew I didn't have to worry about Tyr leaving. Now I could untangle his ball of emotions. He was sad but accepting. He thought I'd leave him as soon as I saw Edward. I knew I wouldn't but for some reason words of comfort never left my mouth.

He pulled away and regained his smile, "Did I tell you that you're absolutely magnificent tonight?"

I fluttered my eyelashes in satisfaction and touched his arm affectionately, "You do too."

He really did. The black tuxedo was form fitting and looked very nice with his smooth hair. His face was handsome as always.

He chuckled and offered me his arm, "Ready to go, my Queen?"

Many voices now filled the ballroom with a pleasant buzz. Me and Tyr waited in a small room right near the staircase. We were to be summoned by Dee when all the guests have arrived. My stomach felt strange and I was suddenly very hungry. For the first time since I found out about our unusual diet for the evening I was happy I'd have something to fill my stomach with.

Tyr's hand was holding mine, his thumb slowly stroking it in a calming manner. I appreciated the gesture.

I turned my head to check my appearance for the millionth time today in the near by mirror. Everything seemed to be in place.

The door opened and for a second the sound of voices got louder before it closed again.

Deidre looked flustered, "Okay, according to the guest list everyone is here. You can go now."

I closed my eyes for a second and took a deep breath.

"You'll be fine Bella," Deidre gave me an encouraging smile but I was to tense to smile back. Numbly I stood up, linking onto Tyr's arm and Deidre went to open the door for us.

I walked out and continued down the hallway to the other set of doors that led right to the staircase.

* * *

The buzzing grew louder as the final barrier between me and the audience opened.

As I made my first step onto the staircase all noise disappeared. I didn't look up yet. I and Tyr gracefully descended to the platform at the bottom where I was to make my speech.

We came to a stop. Tyr let go of me and moved a bit to the side.

In a second a million thoughts ran through my head. This was it. I looked up.

A hundred hands came together as the silence was broken. They were clapping for me.

I scanned the crowd. I was surprised that even in this mass of people my eyes found him almost instantly. The strange emotion was overwhelming but I fought it off. He looked beautiful, an angel. His eyes were widened in shock, his perfect face contorted in confusion and pain. I didn't dare look too long. He might misinterpret my gaze as interest. No, I would not give him the satisfaction. I would not give him hope. I knew he loved me still. His emotions now rang clear in my head. He missed me, how he missed me... He couldn't think of anything but me. He left me because he loved me. He left me because he was stupid and always so sure of himself. Now his love would be wasted on me. Now I was the stronger one. I was beautiful, powerful and admired. No longer was I the pitiful, pathetic half.

I gave the crowd a brilliant smile. The applause was deafening. The minions welcomed their new Queen.

He left me to save me from becoming one of his kind. Now I was much more then that. His mind reading power seemed pathetic now that I had so much more.

I was incredibly gifted but I was a monster. I was a power hungry beast and I realized that. But in my sick, twisted mind I was happy. Soon Edward would realize just into what I was turned, and eventually he'd understand that it was all because of him.

There was no microphone to tap so instead I raised my hand up and the crowd's applause quieted down.

"Welcome and thank you all for coming!"

The applause erupted again and a charming smile appeared on my lips. I waited for the silence to resume.

"It is my privilege to see so many faces here tonight. It's been a while since a chosen one had presented themselves to the public and I thought I would renew the tradition."

I could feel the room's emotions. There was surprise, bitterness, curiosity, jealousy and of course the occasional pang of anger.

"We are a strong, beautiful and passionate race. We have no boundaries or limits. But we can be even stronger. We can surpass every expectation. Tonight will unite us all, despite every difference. We will live on forever. So let's raise our glasses to prosperity!"

I felt a glass being handed to me and raised it out to the crowd. A hundred or so glasses filled with dark red liquid appeared in the crowd and greedily they drank.

I put it up against my lips and glanced at Edward who stood with his hands in his pockets almost shaking in shock or maybe even horror. I kept eye contact as I tilted the glass and felt the blood enter my mouth.

* * *

Tyr was approaching me once again and I linked my arm through his. He leaned in and whispered, "Remember, you're playing a dangerous game."

I didn't ask what exactly he was referring to.

We entered the crowd and he smoothly manoeuvred me through it. I greeted everyone making sure to memorize their names. The task seemed to be a lot easier now then it was when I first moved to Forks.

We approached a small girl and a thin pale, almost transparent man beside her. He looked old, almost ancient. According to Tyr's description I was sure he was one of the Volturi.

His thin lips curled into a smile, "Your majesty," he bowed slightly.

I ignored his subtle mockery and gave him my hand, "Bella."

His stone lips touched it lightly, "Aro. It's my pleasure," his eyes flashed and I felt confusion radiating off him. It was like he was expecting something from the touch.

I gave him a tight smile, "I've heard many things about you."

He straightened up and smirked, "I wouldn't believe half of them."

I faked amusement and pulled my hand away, "Forgive me for saying I hope I won't be seeing much of you. Politics were never really my thing," I wanted him to feel safe.

A smile of satisfaction graced his lips, "I would be more then glad to keep my duties, and of course take my Queen's interests into consideration."

His tone changed considerably and his emotions brightened up. He didn't feel threatened by me.

I smiled more genuinely this time, "It was wonderful meeting you."

He bowed again, "The pleasure is all mine."

And I could feel Tyr's strong arms pulling me away.

* * *

I wasn't expecting to see him as I turned around but I was not startled. His familiar scent which was now intensified calmed me down almost immediately.

His eyes were black. All I felt from him was sadness, such sadness that I had to block my mind off. He was standing beside Carlisle, his hands by his sides, palms clenched. I couldn't look away as hard as I tried.

"Bella," Carlisle's familiar voice. I tried to compose myself.

"Carlisle, Edward," he flinched ever so slightly as I said his name, "I'm glad you could make it."

Carlisle nodded, "The rest weren't home and we couldn't get in touch with them."

I gave them a small smile, "I understand, do not worry. Are you enjoying your night?"

The question sounded fake to my ears. I glanced at Edward. He still hasn't spoken. To my surprise he was now focused on Tyr. His black eyes traveled down to our linked arms and he swallowed. His hands tensed even more. I hoped he would control himself.

Carlisle answered for both of them, "It was a bit of a shock seeing you up there. We weren't expecting it."

I nodded and changed the subject, "You've met Tyr, right?"

He nodded, "Yes, were you there that time as well?"

He was referring to the fight with the newborns, "I was. I wouldn't pass on a chance to finish Victoria myself."

This was a lie. I didn't even know she was involved but I wanted to see their reaction. To see if they would finally realise how much I've changed.

Carlisle's face morphed in confusion for a moment but he quickly wiped it off. I opened my mind to Edward and realised ho much his black face was hiding. He was screaming on the inside. I quickly shut myself out and looked at him deeply. He was a wreck. Nothing of the Edward I knew remained in this shell. And for a moment I blamed myself. I had to leave.

"It was good seeing you once again."

Carlisle nodded sadly, "Of course. Goodbye Bella."

"Bella…" his velvet voice sounded choked. I had to leave.

"Edward," I gave him a last look and turned away.

* * *

The evening was done. The last of the guests have left five minutes ago. I was sitting on the corner of my bed, thinking. Was that really what I've wanted? My grand entrance and finale? The beginning of my new life and the overdue conclusion to my past? It didn't feel that way. My morale was down, my emotions were…confusing.

And I was angry at him. For letting himself go. Why couldn't he get over me and get on with his life? Was it a mistake inviting him? Why did he leave me for such stupid reasons…


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

AN: I know! It's been too long! But I got my inspiration back:) hope you enjoy the chapter guys, cause I absolutely LOVE it! Please review and tell me what you think!

I was sitting in an old piano room. The keys were dusty and unused. I touched my fingers to them and pressed down. The instrument was out of tune. Not that I could play anyway.

The morning was dull and uneventful. The clean up was finished and the others left to wander around. Tyr offered to walk around the garden together but I refused. The rainy weather reflected how I felt.

I closed my eyes. The sadness that flooded me last night after the encounter never left. It was silly and weak, and I knew that but as hard as I tried to wish it away it wouldn't disappear.

I got up and walked towards the bookshelf, reading the titles but the names refused to register. I signed in defeat. So trying to avoid the problem would not help.

I collapsed on an old armchair. Fine, I'd think about it. I'd logically try to figure out what affected me this much.

There was one thing I knew for a fact. Inviting Edward was a mistake. It was cruel and unnecessary. Eventually he'd find out who was the new Queen, there was no need to announce this to him in a room full of vampires. But I also knew that regretting what already happened was a waste of time.

So why did seeing him so broken hurt me this much? I was convinced our relationship was more then done. I had no feelings for him. Maybe seeing him reminded me of how I was when he left me. Was I as bad as he? Was this as cruel as his departure?

No, it couldn't be. Inviting him to the party was nothing like what he's done. It probably just brought memories back and caused him to be upset. He would get better when he got home.

But as hard as I tried to believe that, Tyr's words always came back, "I've never seen a man more broken before."

* * *

The plane ride back was quiet and uneventful. We left the day after the celebration and I was almost eager to get back home. I noticed it was colder, and the rain would soon turn into snow. I imagined the forest covered in white and how visible the blood would be. Then I remembered that no one ever stumbled this deep in.

Days passed in near silence. Everyone seemed mentally exhausted after our trip and I couldn't blame them. Still, soon I was praying for a distraction.

My prayers were answered in a form of a phone call. As the ringing broke the silence of the living room everyone's heads snapped up. Atticus seemed to be the only one who actually remembered that you needed to answer it. No one ever called us.

His thin, graceful hands held receiver and I watched him carefully. His confused expression changed into a concerned one and soon I could feel anger radiating off him. He didn't say much, just listened. With a 'Goodbye' and 'I'll call back' he hung up.

Blaise was the first to get the words out, "Who was that?"

Atticus signed and blankly stared at the floor, thinking.

"Well?" impatience was seeping into Blaise's voice.

Atticus looked up, "We have a problem."

The room visibly shifted and became more alert. Deidre was biting her lip and Blaise and Tyr looked tense.

I looked back at Atticus and caught his eye. Without breaking the eye contact he spoke,

"Carlisle called. One of the Cullens."

I clenched my jaw. What was going on? How did they even get the number? Then I remembered, Tyr gave it to them. I frowned, "What did he want?"

Atticus started pacing, "As we predicted, not everyone is happy with having a Queen, Bella."

I growled, "But I though you said if I didn't want any actual power they wouldn't care! What harm am I to them? I haven't even spoken to the Volturi since that night!"

He shook his head, "I don't think it's the Volturi. They know what you're capable of, and you're right, at the moment you are not a threat to them. This seems to be a different group of vampires, much younger. They don't like the idea of anyone having power over them, even in theory."

I groaned, "So what do they want? Kill me? I'd like to see them try."

Atticus frowned, "Kill you…yes, I supposed that's what they want. But most importantly they want your power."

I raised an eyebrow, "I have to give it willingly don't I?"

"As far as we know, yes that is correct. But it seems that they think if they kill you, your power will pass on to the killer," Atticus looked at Tyr, "What do you think?"

Tyr was looking at the ground, "I don't know. No cases like that were observed. The chosen ones are practically impossible to kill, they're superior to normal vampires. All of them died willingly, but I suppose that if they were killed the powers would have to be passed on to somebody. And it is quite probable that the killer would receive them, as he would be seen as the best candidate."

My expression must have showed the sudden fear that I've felt, as Tyr was by my side in a second.

"Bella, you honestly have nothing to worry about, you could fight off an army if you wanted to. The Volturi know this, that's why they're not even thinking about attacking you. This group clearly doesn't even know what they're getting into," his sincerity was so real and comforting that I felt myself exhale and realise that I really could stand up for myself.

Deidre's voice sounded for the first time, "So where do the Cullens come in? How do they know this?"

Atticus gave her a long look, "Carlisle said one of the vampires stumbled into his area. Apparently they want to find your weakness Bella, and so they're revisiting all the places that you've ever lived. The Cullens apprehended the vampire, and got this information out of him. He tried to escape but was caught and killed by accident I suppose."

My eyes widened, "They'll find my father, my mother…"

"Stop," Blaise jumped on his feet, "If you still value the lives of your human relatives then you are weaker then I thought. They will die Bella, sooner or later. You won't. So you'll save them, and they'll live for 10, 20 more years. But you can live forever. So my advice to you is to forget your past life. Put it in a box and burn it, you can't allow it to become your weakness."

My head was spinning with dull memories of Charlie, first day at Forks, Rene's home, my home…No. Blaise was right, I couldn't care about them anymore. We were now separated by an invincible wall.

I felt Tyr's hand on mine and looked up. He met my gaze, "Bella, it is unlikely they will even use them to get at you. I'm pretty sure they think you are indifferent to them, just like most vampires become after they are turned. They are probably just looking for information about you, trying to see who is your friend and who can possibly be your enemy."

I nodded, "So what do the Cullens propose?"

Atticus looked around, "Well after they told me about what happened, they asked if we needed any help. I told them I would discuss it with you and call them back. Carlisle said they'd keep an eye on any more intruders and call me if they see anything. Personally I don't think we have anything to worry about yet. Our location is very secure, and until we get more information on our enemies we can't really do much. I propose we wait, quietly, and prepare for possible battle."

Deidre shook her head, "I think we should move. Staying in one place will make us an easy target. There are ways which they can use to find out the location of our home. Chosen ones lived here for years, there must be a record of the place somewhere."

Atticus sighed, "I'll say it once again, our home is probably the best protected coven there is, Dee. And remember, even if we are found, they wouldn't stand a chance against us."

Deidre opened her mouth to protest, but Blaise beat her to it, "Oh Dee, don't worry so much. Atticus is right, no one will get us here. And we have the Cullens as our back up."

I cleared my throat, "I would prefer to not get them involved."

Atticus studied me for a moment but nodded, "I agree, even though they are our friends, trusting anyone too much is risky. Anyways, there's no point for mindless speculation. I need to read up on something in the library," and with that in a second he was gone.

Blaise chuckled, "Since you came Bella, he has more and more to read up on everyday."

I gave him an amused look and realised that Tyr was still beside me. I wanted to be alone with him.

"Care for a hunt with me?"

His eyes lit up and he nodded wordlessly. In a minute we were chasing after a pair of rabbits.

* * *

His cold hands were caressing my bare stomach. My eyes were closed as I listened to the sounds of the forest. The ground I laid on was cold but it didn't bother me. I felt him shift in a new position and I quickly glanced over. Tyr was now lying beside me, propped on his elbow.

"You're not worrying about it, are you," his voice was teasing but I could feel his concern.

I groaned and looked up at him, "I don't know. I just don't want so much drama breaking out because of me."

He chuckled, "You wouldn't be royalty if there was no conflict."

I smiled, "Yeah, you're right. I hope Atticus finds some information for us. I might join him at the library sometime soon."

Tyr nodded, "That might be a good idea." I could feel his feelings become much more pleasant. His eyes traveled down my form, and if I could blush I knew I would. He caught my eye and gave me a devilish smirk which I giggled at.

"Just what are you planning, Tyrael," I teased him while bringing my hand to cup his face.

His smirk grew, "You don't want to know."

His hand made its way from my stomach to the small of my back, and effortlessly he lifted me on top of him. His fingers crawled up my shirt caressing my shoulder blades with intricate patterns.

I tangled my hand into his soft black hair and slowly lowered my lips onto his.

We made our way back an hour later, trying to fix our dishevelled appearance. Our laughter rang through the trees as we ran.

When we got home, the others were no where in sight. Tyr said he was going to go change in the dungeons and try to get the dirt of his clothes. I giggled and said I'd go to the library first.

We departed and I made my way across the ball room. The library was empty and suddenly I realised I didn't know where to start. I looked around trying to see something that would catch my attention. Then I noticed a book case that wasn't open like the rest. It had two closed doors hiding the contents away. I walked over to it wondering why I've never seen it before. I could swear it wasn't here all of the other times. I walked towards it and fingered the door. To my surprise it wasn't locked. It slowly creaked open under the pressure of my fingers displaying the hidden contents.

There were books lining the top three shelves. I skimmed the titles and realised that these were rare books. They looked old, much older then anything I've ever seen around here. But I let my gaze travel and on the bottom shelf something caught my attention. It was a gold chest that probably served as a safe hundreds of year ago. The lock was open and before I even knew what I was doing I bend down to look inside.

I expected jewels and gems but to my surprise the entire contents were scrolls of parchment and paper. I grabbed the first scroll, and unrolled it. There was a diagram, labelled with ancient writing that I did not understand. I put it down and grabbed the stack of papers. It looked like an outline for something. As I read the first paragraph I heard a door slam behind me.

I jumped and the papers almost fell from my hands. I whipped around and was met with angry blue eyes.

"What are you doing, Bella," Atticus' melodic voice was no more then a whisper. I gulped.

"I—I was just looking around and I saw the book case— ," I stuttered.

I guess Atticus sensed my discomfort and I could see him trying to calm down, "How much have you read?"

"Practically nothing. Just the first paragraph. What is this Atticus?"

His eyes managed to regain their warmth, "I'm sorry for scaring you Bella. Come sit, I'll explain everything."

I placed the papers on a near by table and followed him to the chairs.

He sighed and looked directly at me, "You don't know much about Kane and the circumstances surrounding him. You know he was miserable, and believe me when I say that we tried everything to make him better. That is our job but he was also our friend. Still we couldn't help him. His gift was his curse and he hated it. Eventually we realised that he would not be happy while he remains the chosen one. So we started out on a long journey. A journey to rid him of his powers."

I was listening intently.

Atticus continued, "We conducted experiments, research…came up with countless theories but nothing seemed to make sense. We were almost giving up when I came upon an ancient book, dating back to the beginning of the chosen one's existence. In that book it said that the chosen one can never survive without his powers, but he can share them with someone else. He can give as much as 90 of them and still survive, his burden much smaller. When we told about it to Kane he refused. He didn't want to inflict us with his curse. But we didn't give up, and kept working on it, making sure that if he changed his mind we would be ready."

Atticus' gaze never left my eyes and I didn't dare to move.

"And then a miracle happened. I guess it got too much to handle, and Kane agreed. We were ecstatic, finally our leader would be happy again. We were ready to do it, or so we thought. On the night of the transfer something went wrong and it didn't work. Kane was emotionally exhausted and he fled. We tried to find him, but most of all find what went wrong. We were sure our calculations were right. Inject him with the receivers blood, inject the receiver with his venom…"

Atticus dropped his head and I felt a pang in the depth of my chest. I flew over to his side and put my arm around him, "It wasn't your fault."

He shook his head, "I will always blame myself but it doesn't matter. A week later we got his message and then Dee found you. When she told us about the dust we knew he was gone. And now it is our duty to protect you Bella. To stop you from becoming like Kane."

We sat in silence, both of us deep in thought but a question kept nagging at me. Finally I got the courage to ask it,

"Who was the receiver?"

Atticus looked up and gave me a measuring look. I waited. Then his pink lips moved.

"Blaise. He volunteered to receive all of it."

* * *

I looked away.

As I stood up Atticus grabbed my hand, "Bella, what I've told you is a painful memory for all of us. Especially Blaise, he was really close to Kane. I would appreciate if you didn't tell them that I've told you," his blue eyes were pleading but he didn't need to ask. I knew that I would never willingly bring this up.

"Of course."

Atticus nodded and stood up to put away the papers. When the doors were locked again he pressed a flat button on the wall. Just like in movies the foreign book case spun around to be replaced with a familiar one.


	15. Chapter 15

Oh God it's been more than a year. I completely lost my inspiration, but now I kind of want to see this finished. We'll see what the future brings! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

* * *

A week passed since the phone call. Atticus told us that he called the Cullens back to tell them not to come. I was happy no unnecessary confrontations would occur but also a little bit touched by their concern.

Neither I nor Atticus mentioned that day in the library. We grew more careful around each other, measuring our words but I knew it was only temporary. I guess their pain over a friend's death was fresher then I thought.

Me and Tyr went back to our scheduled training. Sometimes Blaise took his place but he seemed tired and uneasy. When I asked about it he just said that patrolling every night was getting to him. We had to increase our defences since we found out about the threat.

Yesterday when we met in the ball room to head out to the usual training spot Blaise pleasantly surprised me. He was carrying a long box and motioned for me to come over. I obeyed and as soon as my eyes landed on the contents I gasped. It was a sword, a real sword. Not a wooden toy I usually used.

"Don't think too highly of yourself. But just in case anything happens I want you to be prepared," before he could finish I pulled him into a hug.

"Bella, get off me," he grumbled and looked away, but I could see a small smile settle on his lips.

We trained for a while and I earned a couple of cuts that healed in under a minute. My sword was amazing and I kept thanking Blaise, but he just brushed me off. Finally we decided to head back.

As soon as we walked in I knew something was wrong.

The furniture was turned upside down and scattered all over the floor. Piece of wood covered the marble floor and in the center of the room, on the only surviving couch sat Tyr and Deidre.

Me and Blaise stormed towards them and my eyes widened at a large gash on Tyr's arm.

"What happened? Is he okay?" surprisingly my voice didn't tremble.

Deidre looked up at us, her face covered in drops of blood, "They found us. I don't know how. Tyr and Atticus were patrolling the perimeter and they attacked from Tyr's side."

"They made it all the way to the house?" Blaise asked in a gruff voice.

Tyr opened his closed lids, "I finished two off and I couldn't smell any others. I ran here to warn the Dee but two more followed me. They attacked as soon as I got here."

As Dee patted his healing gash with a towel I realised something, "Wait, where is Atticus?"

Tyr frowned, "He was on the other side of the forest. I doubt they even saw him but he should be back soon. If not we'll go look for him."

I scowled, "What if he was attacked and couldn't fight them off? We need to go, now."

Blaise shook his head, "Don't worry, Atticus can take care of himself."

Dee nodded, "These vampires were pretty young. Too old to be called newborns though. This means that they're not stronger then any of us and definitely less intelligent. What we should be worrying about is what's going to happen next. I don't understand how they found us so quickly."

Balsie nodded, "It's true, I did not expect this. We're going to have to arrange possible back up. Eventually they'll send more to see why the others didn't return.

Tyr pointed to the living room, "Go get the Cullen's number, it's by the phone."

Suddenly a familiar voice rang out, "That won't be necessary."

Adrenalin gushed through my veins and shivers covered my already freezing body. I whipped my head around and was met with an unexpected sight.

All of them were here. Emmet, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, Esme, Carlisle and…Edward. My eyes darted from one to the other. I didn't know what to say or do.

My rescuer was Atticus who silently walked from behind them. He was wearing a thin, tired smile on his face and immediately I felt a pang of pity.

"Are you alright?" I looked him the eye, and he nodded. I could feel all of our guests' eyes on me. I couldn't let it bother me.

Carlisle opened his mouth to speak but Atticus interrupted, "Wait, lets go into the living room. We can talk there until this mess is cleaned up."

I was glad for an excuse to not look at them and quickly walked across the room. I could see Tyr standing up, his wound now no more then a pink mark on his arm.

The room was more crowded then ever, yet still almost everyone managed to find a seat. Tyr took his usual position against the wall and I sat on a chair in the corner. The Cullens positioned themselves looking slightly uncomfortable.

Blaise's impatient voice barked out, "Are you going to tell us what is going on?"

Atticus shot him a look, "Calm down Blaise, I know little more then you. I was guarding my post when I a number of foreign smells reached me. I prepared myself and hid behind a tree but soon recognised one of the smells. It was Carlisle. They arrived a minute or two later and informed me about a group of vampires heading this way. Apparently they lost them when they entered the forest. We tried to smell them out but failed. Then I proposed we try to find Tyr and when we reached his territory we saw the burning remains. The smells were much stronger there and we had to problem following them. We reached the house and here we are now."

Tyr nodded, "I killed two as they entered our territory. I ran home to warn everyone, and somehow didn't notice two more following me. They attacked me and Dee, rather foolishly, as we finished them right away. I don't think they actually thought we'd be here. It was probably just one of the places they visited while trying to find clues. Still their absence is sure to alarm their leader."

I purposely tried to avoid looking at any of the Cullens, but when Edward's velvet voice rang out my eyes automatically darted to him. He looked tired but better then at the ball.

He looked intently at Tyr, "They came to our area two days after we called again, but didn't get too close. Still my sister saw them and we followed their trail. I'm guessing someone changed their orders as the day after they came to Forks they were on their way here. It took them three days to make it to the continent, as there were delays with the planes. We managed to get on the same one. When they got off they didn't head straight here but instead fed around the towns. Yesterday they started running here and we followed a good distance behind," his eyes didn't hide the sadness behind them.

Carlisle continued for him, "You know the rest of what happened. The situation seems to be progressing at a very high rate and we all agreed to offer you our help."

Tyr gave him a thin smile, "Your kindness is very much appreciated and your help might prove to be valuable, but you must understand that we can't trust just anyone."

I could see Alice gasp. Esme who was standing right beside her looked at me with her tender, motherly eyes and I had to look away. Tyr unknowingly insulted them more then I ever could.

Edward cast his eyes downward but quickly recovered. Emmet stepped in, "I'm sure Bella would confirm our trustworthiness. We wish you no harm."

I could feel everyone's eyes boring into me. I looked at Dee who's was standing with her arms crossed and eyes fixed on the Cullens. I realised my new family was defending me from saying anything I didn't want to.

I gave Tyr a small smile and simply stated, "We can trust them."

We decided that discussing our next move could wait. I retreated to my chambers and left the others to tend to the cleaning. I could hear Esme's clucking over the mess while she helped Deidre and Atticus clean.

I stood beside my window looking over the back yard. It was almost eleven and the night has settled in hours ago. It started snowing and I shut my window closed. Not that the cold bothered me.

I felt uneasy. His presence loomed over me. Just knowing that Edward was a couple walls away was enough to make me pace my room in discomfort. The tension between us was at times too much to handle. The way his black eyes lingered on me and the waves of sadness that they emitted were unsettling. We haven't spoken a word to each other and silently I prayed that it would stay that way. I was afraid that eventually my walls would come down. Why did I allow them to help us?

I heard a small knock on the door and took a feverish breath. Not him, just Alice.

I walked over to let her in.

She looked small and tired. I motioned her to come in and locked the door.

Her eyes met mine and suddenly the air in the room seemed heavy. I felt her confusion and regret before I could block them out. I looked away and went to sit on the bed. She sat beside me.

I didn't know what to say, so I waited for her. After a minute of staring at the floor, she sighed.

"Who would have thought a couple of years ago that everything would be so different?"

I didn't answer.

"What happened to you Bella?" she turned and looked intently at me.

I shrugged, "I got turned. It was just my luck that the vampire who bit me turned out to be the most powerful of our kind."

Her face remained blank and I sighed.

"Alice, what do you want me to tell you? That I was heartbroken? Depressed? That I tried to seek out someone who would bite me? Well it wasn't like that. Sure I was upset. For a while. But you get over things, move on. It was either death or an eternal life. I picked the latter. I'm happy now. It's better this way," I tried to keep eye contact while I said things I wasn't sure were true.

"Are you? Happy, I mean," her eyes bore in to me, asking a question I already answered.

"Yes, just because he never got over me doesn't mean I feel the same way," the words sounded fake to my own ears.

Alice looked away, "I told him he shouldn't have done it. We all told him. But you know how stubborn he gets when he's set on something. Bella he misses you so much. He still lo—."

"Stop it," I hissed, "I don't care about what he feels. I don't want to hear it. We had something in the past, now it's done. Over."

Alice flinched at my tone and I could almost feel her unspoken anger, "You've changed, Bella."

I stood up and opened the door for her.

"So what are you thinking about?" Tyr's arm was linked with mine and our shoes were leaving messy footprints on the thin layer of snow.

I gave him a small smile, "Everything, really. What are we going to do next, Tyr? The Cullens aren't going to stay here forever—."

"I hope not," he chuckled.

"Well, then we need to start planning our next move. Do we wait for them to attack us? Or do we attack them?" the uncertainty about everything was getting to me.

I could see Tyr's eyebrows furrow in thought. His face was flawless as always. I let myself admire him while he formulated an answer.

"From now on they will be more careful. I doubt we'll be seeing any of our enemies for a little while. They need to regroup, and formulate a new plan. They'll probably snoop around and try to collect more information. Really there's no need for the Cullens to be here, but we might as well work out a defence plan in case of another attack," he paused as we walked into our usual training clearing.

"Do you want to walk a bit to the west? It's a great view, I don't think you've ever been there," he looked at me and smiled.

I nodded and waited for him to continue.

"Should we attack them first? I can't be certain at the moment. We need to know how many of them are there. Personally I would prefer for the fighting to occur on our territory. I think that if we are prepared for them we might as well make them come to us. Still it's not only my decision," Tyr looked thoughtful and especially attractive in the setting sun.

I nudged him, "I'll back you up."

He let out an amused laugh and gently pushed me against a tree, "Well it's good to know I have you on my side, little Bella."

His head dipped down and he kissed my neck. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the wood. His lips were soft and his kisses hungry. He pushed the straps of my shirt down to my shoulders and I realised how silly I must have looked to a human. A girl wearing a tank top in the middle of the winter. His head came back up and him lips planted themselves on mine. I kissed him back with eagerness and unbuttoned his shirt. Tyr's chest was as always smooth and cold and I couldn't resist the temptation of having it underneath my fingertips.

He groaned as soon as I dragged my nails down his skin. I could feel him pressing closer to me, pulling my tank top a bit lower, and at that moment all of my worries seem to disappear. I loved the way he touched me, the way he whipered my name into my ear and suddenly I was overcome by a fit of passion. I fell to the ground dragging him down with me, panting for breath, even though it was completely unnecessary. I was on top and all I could see was his perfect skin below me. He seemed to be just as lost in our activities as I was, and his usual cautious demeanor was replaced by pure vampire lust. Our kisses turned less gentle and I thought I've never felt this aroused ever before. For a not so brief moment I considered just throwing all caution to the wind and making love to him right here in the snow. And perhaps I would have, if the distinct smell of Emmet Cullen hasn't tickled my nose. I pulled away and let out a quiet displeased groan. Tyr, who's sense of smell wasn't as strong as mine, looked at me in confusion.

"Emmet is coming."

He let out a growl and stood up as I reluctantly got of him.

When Emmet reached the spot he seemed to be surprised to see us there. He gave our stained appearance a curious look and Tyr guessing his line of thought quickly said, "We were training, did you come to tell us something?"

Emmet seemed satisfied with the explanation and shook his head, "Just taking a look around the grounds. A big place you got here. Carlisle and Atticus figured we'd all help you with the patroling."

Tyr nodded in agreement, clearly satisfied with the implication that he would be putting in less hours on guard duty, "The ground look much better when there's more snow. There's also quite a bit of prey. You and your family might want to feed while its calm."

Emmet, who's gaze was flicking from me to Tyr, replied, " That's a good idea. If you're heading back would you mind telling them? I'd like to walk around a bit more."

Tyr looked at me in question and I gave him a brief smile, "Yes, let's head back and see how the others are doing."

We said our goodbyes to Emmet and started to walk back. When a minute later I looked back, he was standing in the same spot, watching us.


End file.
